The Snow Queen
by AubriFalls
Summary: "Why don't you stand up to those girls?" I jump when I hear his voice behind me. He's always sneaking up on me. He gets a kick out of it. The stinker. "Unlike you, I don't like causing a scene, Jack." I slam the locker door closed before whirling around to face him. The striking blue of his eyes always catches me off guard. In a lot of ways, he looks very much like me.
1. Chapter 1

**Elsa**

I sit on the floor with my back against the bedroom door.  
I'm doing my homework and I don't want to be bothered.  
Quite frankly, I find something to be "off" about the Weseltons and I don't want them to come in here.

Perhaps I should explain more fully.

I have been in the foster care system for the past year of my life.  
Both of my parents died in a tragic car accident that no one saw coming. I guess even my parents didn't see it coming; if they had, they would still be here.

I have a sister, Anna, but at our ages it would have been near impossible to find a family willing to take in the both of us.  
I didn't want her to end up living in a center, so I agreed to split us up.  
She went to one family and I went to the Weseltons.  
I wonder now if living in a center would have been the better choice.

It doesn't seem to matter at this point; I will be turning eighteen this year and I will be able to legally care for myself.

It's not as if the Weseltons are bad per se. I just get the feeling that something isn't right.  
I sigh deeply, ruffling the pages of my homework with the escaped air. "Everything isn't right." I whisper to myself.  
A few tears trail down my pale cheeks. It's an overflow of emotions that I just can't keep in. It's a reminder of all the brokenness in my life. The frozen fractals of shatter ice.

"Conceal. Don't feel." I tell myself, urging the tears to dry up.  
I set my homework aside. I think it's time for a short break.  
I grab the light blue Dell laptop to the left of me.  
The screen still displays useless school facts, of which I'm trying to take and turn into an intelligent paper worthy of an A.  
I open up a new tab and log in to Facebook. I'll never tell you my password, but if you knew me well enough it would probably be fairly easy for you to hack into my account. Fortunately, nobody really knows me well enough.  
I only have a few friends added.  
I have a long list of people from my school awaiting me to accept their friend requests, but I honestly have no idea who half of them are.

I have another message from Anna.  
She sends me detailed messages almost every day telling me how school was.  
At the end of the message, she always suggests we get together.

I never answer the messages.

_Hey Elsa!_  
_I have the most exciting news today! Mr. Oaken finally perfected his sun balm recipe! He's been working really hard on it for months!_  
_They were so excited that they closed down the shop early today._  
_We're going to go out for ice cream._  
_I have to leave soon so I'll tell you more about my day whenever I get back._  
_Do you want to go out for ice cream some time?_  
_Love you_  
_Anna_

I read the message and log out.

I'm happy to know that the Oaken's seem to be treating her nicely.  
I'm happy for her.  
That's why I don't talk to her. That's why I keep my distance.  
She's better off without me.

Everyone's better off without me.

I can feel the depression sinking in again.  
It never truly goes away. It's always lingering below the surface.

I feel the urge to lie down and nap for a little while, but I have this homework that still needs finished.  
The last thing I need right now is to start failing in school.  
I'm so close to graduating; only a few more months.

I can hardly believe that I'm a Senior in high school. It still seems unreal even now that it's nearly over.  
The Seniors practically rule the school.

But I am no queen.

I snort at the thought. Yeah right.  
With that, I return my attention to my schoolwork.

**Anna**

I weave my strawberry blonde hair expertly into two symmetrical braids hanging down over my shoulders.  
It's not the most trendy style, even I will admit, but it's how my mom always did it when I was younger.

I have one bleached blonde streak, which I think adds a stylish touch.  
I did it on impulse a few months ago. I don't regret it.

"Yoo hoo!" Mr. Oaken calls to me through my bathroom door. "You're going to be late!"  
His accent is thick and friendly. I enjoy listening to him talk; he always sounds happy.

"I know, Mr Oaken." I respond. "I'll be right out."

I sigh deeply and look at myself in the mirror.  
Big, blue eyes stare back at me. The feature is an asset I know many of the girls at my school are probably jealous about.

Underneath the layers of bubbly happiness surrounding the Anna that everyone knows lingers the sadness I see in my eyes just now.

_She didn't respond again._

_She never does._

I message Elsa every day.  
I want so much to keep the relationship with my sister alive. After all, she's all the family I have left now.  
But for some reason, she shuts me out.  
I don't want to be shut out. I want to be let in.

_We used to be best buddies, but now we're not. I wish she would tell me why._

It doesn't matter now. I have school and I can't waste any more time or else I'll be late.

I open the bathroom door and rush out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Elsa**

I wrap my arms around myself as I walk down the hallway. I feel more secure with my arms held closely to my body, as if holding myself together.

I keep my head down as I make my way to my locker, trying my best not to bump into anyone (or to keep them from bumping into me). Considering that Arendelle High has a rather large student body, the odds of not getting bumped into are pretty slim.

Someone bumps me. Hard.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Elsie." A sickeningly sugary-sweet voice oozes to my ears.  
Ugh. It's Rachel.  
Rachel Corona, the queen of the school.

Of course, she's not sorry. She never is.  
For the record, she's also fully aware that my name is Elsa.

"It's ok." The words feel like paper on my tongue. I say them anyway. No need to start anything with the queen today.

"You're a gem, Elsie!" She flips her hair in my face.

She has gorgeous blonde hair. It's longer than any other girls' in the school.  
She's fully aware of it, too.

Trying my best not to let my disgust appear on my face, I smile at Rachel politely before making my way down the hall again.

Over the boisterous conversations of the other high school students, I can hear the firm thuds of my footsteps on the dirty tile floor.  
I rub my fingers against the cozy, blue fabric of my shirt sleeves.  
I know it's almost summer, but long sleeves make me feel more secure.  
Besides, I always feel cold in the air-conditioned rooms of the school anyway.

At last, I reach my locker.  
I fiddle with the lock a few seconds before swinging the door open. I shuffle out a few textbooks and stuff them into my bulky book bag.

"Why don't you stand up to those girls?"

I jump when I hear his voice behind me.

He's always sneaking up on me. He gets a kick out of it. The stinker.

"Unlike you, I don't like causing a scene, Jack." I slam the locker door closed before whirling around to face him.

The striking blue of his eyes always catches me off guard.  
In a lot of ways, he looks very much like me. Pale skin, light hair, and blue eyes.  
The only difference is the playful smirk that always tugs at his lips.  
I hardly ever smile. It's just not something that I do.

I suppose many people would label Jack and I as friends, but do not make the same mistake; we're not friends. We're hardly even acquaintances.  
Jack follows me around. I don't know why, he just does.

"You think I like causing a scene?" That smirk appears full force.

"Remember that food fight in the cafeteria last month?" I raise my eyebrow inquiringly.

He chuckles. "Oh yeah. I guess that was my fault, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." I turn away from him, ending the conversation.  
I'd love to stick around and chat, but I have a class that I'm going to be late for.  
I leave him behind me without saying goodbye.  
My rudeness doesn't make a difference. He'll still bother me.

**Anna**

If there's anything I could tell you for certain about this life, it's this: being a Freshman is just plain awkward.

Even if I were the classiest girl in school (which I'm not), it would still be awkward.

Unfortunately for me, the classiest girl in school award goes to the perfect Rachel Corona and her gorgeous blonde hair.  
She's a Senior like Elsa.

Even more unfortunately, not only am I not the classiest girl in school, but I swear I'm just about the most awkward.

Put awkward Freshman together with just being awkward and you've got yourself a catastrophe of awkwardness.

I'm wondering how many times I can say the word "awkward".

Being that I'm not the most graceful person (and that I'm a Freshman), the odds of me getting a boyfriend at this point of my life are... not in my favor.  
With this being said, I think it's safe to say that it would be even more unlikely for me to get a boyfriend who is a Senior. Unlikely? Try impossible.

Well, that's exactly what my plan is.  
Let me elaborate for you.

I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that my sister Elsa will be at the Prom.  
She's a Senior; she has to!  
I'm hoping that if I go to the Prom, I'll be able to spend some time with her.  
I'm hoping that I'll at least get to speak with her for a few moments.  
I'd give anything for that!

In all honesty, I want to live with Elsa after she graduates.  
The Oaken's are nice, but they are not my family.  
How can I live with Elsa if I don't even have a relationship with her?

Since I'm a Freshman, the only possible way for me to go to the Prom is for me to get invited by one of the Senior boys.

I know I'm awkward and I know I'm a Freshman, but I have to try.


	3. Chapter 3

**Elsa**

Every bit of food that manages to make it through my lips sticks in my mouth in a clump of dissatisfaction.  
I'm sure the cafeteria food isn't all that bad. I just don't have an appetite. I haven't had an appetite in a year.  
I don't want to eat.

Yet, I still raise my fork toward my mouth again and again, almost as if my arm were a robot obeying the subconscious orders sent from it's programmer to survive.

I sit alone at my usual table. I don't mind sitting alone. You can't hurt anyone when you're alone.

_It was cold.  
The snow wafted down from the sky gently, as if it were afraid that if it were to fall any harder, it might hurt someone.  
The little flakes needn't worry. Everyone was inside the house safely._

_"Come on, Elsa!" A young girl with two pigtails dangling over her shoulders giggled joyously. It was Anna, my sister, a few years back. "It's snowing outside! Let's go play!" She ran from her spot at the window and down the hall to my room._

_"No, Anna." Our mother stopped her before she could knock on the closed door of the bedroom. "Leave Elsa to herself; she isn't feeling well."_

Jack plopped himself into the seat next to me, startling me out of my haze.

"You okay?" He cocks his head to the side as he studies me. I feel self-conscious under his gaze. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I'm..." I look down at my tray and poke at my meal with my fork. "Fine."

The smell of the freshly served food on Jack's plate wafts to my nose. The smell causes my stomach to churn.  
I have no appetite.

I shove another bite of food into my mouth. I taste nothing.

**Anna**

I'm on my way to World Literature when my closest friend Olivia skips up next to me. We both have this class so we always end up walking there together.

"It's almost summer!" Her sing-song voice rings out. She loops her arm through mine in typical best friend fashion. "Just think; as soon as we're out of this place, we'll be doing whatever Freshmen's do in summer." Olivia is a little bit obsessed with school letting out for the year. Who wouldn't be, though? It's been a long year.

I laugh. "As soon as we're out of this place, I'm shedding my Freshman label forever and embracing my new life as a Sophomore."

"Making our way up the ladder!" She releases her hold on me long enough to give me a high five.

We've made our way to our class. We slip into the room and find our seats.  
Olivia sits at my left-hand side.

I consider myself to be one of those people that's friends with a little bit of everyone.  
Everyone generally likes me.  
I'm Anna; that awkward girl that always manages to make herself look stupid so you can have a good laugh. I'm totally okay with that.

However, Olivia is by far my truest friend.  
She's kind of awkward like me... only she's into cheesy jokes that she probably finds on the internet.

Whenever I go over to her house after school, we always end up singing and dancing to corny songs I would never admit to anyone I actually like.

"All right, Class." My World Literature teacher, Mr. Wright, strides to the front of the class, demanding our eyes' attention. "The first thing I want to touch on today is a partner project I would like to be turned in by the end of the week."

I can almost hear Olivia squeal with excitement next to me.  
Glancing over at her, I can see she's giving me that "we're going to be partners" look.

"Hold your horses, guys." Mr. Wright breaks through. "Partners are assigned."

Ugh. Assigning partners is basically the same thing as dictating the entire country to the mind of a high school student.  
Please, if we can't choose our own partners, you might as well take the rest of our rights, too.

Mr. Wright goes on to read aloud the list of partners he has paired together for the project.  
Olivia ends up with a total brainiac. That makes for an easy A.

At last, I hear my name called out.

"Anna Snowe," I'm sitting at the edge of my seat. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. "and Kristoff Bjorgman."

My eyes wander over the room and find him sitting in the back row.  
He nods his acknowledgment to me.

_"He's like you." Olivia whispered to me during lunch at the beginning of the year.  
She had noticed I was studying him as he strode across the room.  
He wasn't fat; his frame was just bigger and stronger than all the other Freshman boys.  
"He's a foster kid." Olivia explained in a hushed tone. "The only other one in our grade. He's like you."  
"Oh."_

"You can choose any classic author you would like to do your project on. But remember, it has to be a classic author. Doing a project on Stephen King isn't going to win you any points."

Mr. Wright goes on explaining the assignment, but I find my concentration dwindling.

_He's like me._


	4. Chapter 4

**Elsa**

"I can drive you home if you want." Jack offers as he follows me out of the building.

He always offers.  
I always decline.

"That's ok." I answer. "I like to walk."

It's true.  
There really isn't anything better than the cool breeze tangling itself into your hair as you walk down the sidewalk, breathing in the scent of the trees and the flowers surrounding you.  
Now that it's nearly summer, my cool breeze is starting to lose it's coolness, but I still like it.  
I like the solitude it brings.

I haven't gotten my license yet. I haven't even gotten my permit yet.  
I'm pretty sure I'm the only Senior who can't drive.  
I have other things to worry about, though.

What are the others going to do? Mock me for being different? They already do.

"Are you sure?" He slides his hands casually into his jean pockets.  
He always wears the same basic outfit every day. I chide myself for noticing.  
Jeans and a hooded blue sweatshirt.  
Blue is my favorite color.

"Yeah, I'm sure." We break apart from each other when we reach the parking lot.  
I can feel his eyes on me as I walk away.

The greater the distance between Jack and I, the greater the loneliness becomes. I can feel it as a thick wool blanket weighing down on my fragile shoulders.

_Don't let him in, don't let him see.  
Be the good girl you always have to be._

I'm only halfway home when it starts to rain.  
I'm not talking about a nice, light drizzle.  
It's pouring down on me. My clothes are soaked through.

"Hey Elsie," A red truck slows down on the road adjacent to the sidewalk I'm walking on. Rachel waves to me from the passenger side. Flynn Rider, her perfect boyfriend, is driving. He smirks at my wet dog appearance.

Flynn is what most of us would call a "bad boy". Between his questionable reputation and his ragged looks, the majority of all high school girls are completely wooed by him.

I see nothing but a punk kid with a chip on his shoulder.

"I would have Flynn drop you off at your house so you don't have to walk all this way in the rain, but there isn't any room for you." Rachel pouts. I'm sure she's devastated. "It's all right. I wouldn't want you to get me wet anyway. I'll see you at school tomorrow, Elsie. Don't catch a cold." She waves again as the red truck takes off down the road, going a little over the speed limit.

_Don't let them in, don't let them see.  
Be the good girl you always have to be._

**Anna**

When World Literature finally ends, I meander over to Kristoff's desk to talk to him about the assignment.

"Uh, hey there."

He looks up at me while he loads his books into his backpack. "Mhm." He grunts. This is my signal that I have his unwavering attention. _Right_.

"I was wondering if you were available to meet up after school to work on the project. We could meet in the library-"

_Ziiiippp!_

He yanks the zipper on his bag. It's loud and obnoxious, just as I'm sure he intended it to be.

"Sorry, I've got plans." He says bluntly.

"Well, what about tomorrow-" He's already past me and out of the room. "Oh, ok. Never mind. We can work on it whenever you get around to it. We do have until the end of the week. Take your time."

I'm talking to myself.

Sighing, I follow Kristoff's example and leave the classroom. I have to get to my next class.

I stride out the door, into the hall, and straight into the body of a human being.  
Why, Anna? Why must you be so clumsy all the time?

"I'm so sorry!" I gasp, jumping away from them to keep any other incidents from happening. This has actually happened before; bumping into someone only to end up bumping into them again. I don't recommend it.

"No, no." His voice is surprisingly soft. "The fault is mine."

Someone please pinch me now, I just ran into the arms of a high school hunk.  
His hair is ginger, which isn't a typical hunk hair color, but don't let that fool you.  
His eyes are as soft as his voice.  
I swear I'm looking at an angel right now.  
Who is this boy and why have I never noticed him before?

"Well, if you want to take the blame, I won't argue, but with my record of clumsiness..." I find myself laughing.

"Since it's my first day here, I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that that my inner 'new kid' got the best of me. I was totally lost and had no idea where I was going."

"Oh?" I can't hide the interest dripping from my inquiry. "This late in the school year?"

"Yup." He nods. "To make things worse, it's my Senior year." He already sees the question in my eyes. "My dad had to transfer for work."

"Man, that sucks."

He nods again. "I'm Hans, by the way."

"Anna." We shake hands. His grip is firm, but not too firm as to cause any discomfort. It feels nice.

"It's nice to meet you, Anna." I can't help but feel disappointed when he releases his hold.  
My disappointment doesn't last long.

The wheels in my head are churning faster than a Cheetah chasing it's prey for dinner... not that I'm implying Hans is my prey. Actually, maybe that's exactly what I'm implying.

Hans is a Senior and a Senior is just what I've been looking for.

I help him find his way through Arendelle High to his class.


	5. Chapter 5

**Elsa**

I burst through the front door of the Weseltons' house.

My blouse is sticking uncomfortably to my small frame.  
My hair, which is generally twisted up and gathered into a neat bun, is now falling loose into a tangled, dripping mess.

Usually my appearance is perfectly prim and proper, without anything seeming to be out of place.

But not now.

Now, I look like the wicked witch of the west.

Or the Snow Queen.

_I was in the bathroom of the Junior High. I was just about to unlatch the stall door and swing it open wide.  
Just then, a group of girls came into the restroom, talking loudly and giggling in a way that left me feeling cold.  
My hand stopped mid-air, then slowly moved away from the lock and back down to my side.  
"She's so ugly." One of them guffawed.  
"I know." The other girls agreed._

_"Too pale."_

_"Too thin."_

_"Too weird."_

_"She's like the Snow Queen or something." This comment was met with an erupted volcano of laughter. Mean laughter._

_"Better watch out for Elsa Snowe or she might freeze you to death."_

_"What a freak."_

_My little body fell limp against the stall door, losing any ounce of confidence my 8th grade self had.  
Ever so silently, the tears trailed down my cheeks like melted snowflakes._

"Elsa," Mr. Weseltons' strict, gravelly voice brings me back to where I stand dripping on the welcome mat. "I see you've made it home through this weather safely."

I don't know what to say to him.  
At the moment, I don't want to say anything. I just want to take a nice, long shower to wash all traces of the rain away.

"We need to talk."

I guess my shower is going to have to wait.  
Of course, I would love to have this intimidating talk with you while I drip on your shiny wood floors.

"Come into the dining room and have a seat." He leads me to the adjacent room.

This is coming off as really fishy to me, but I don't make any remarks about it.

I sit in one of the cushioned dining chairs he pulls out for me.  
He sits himself directly across the table.  
I feel even more uncomfortable now with his eyes piercing through me.  
Don't get me wrong, his eyes aren't mean necessarily. Just... _off._  
I can't explain it. I just don't trust him.

Mr. Weselton clears his throat. "Elsa, you have been in our care for quite some time now." He begins. "We are quite aware that you are graduating and turning eighteen. Which is why we want to legally make you a part of our family as soon as possible."

_What?_

I'm generally good at purposefully not speaking, but I don't often find myself speechless; of not being capable of saying one single word.  
I'm speechless now.

"In order to go through with this, all we need is your consent."

He doesn't have my consent and he never will.

"No." I manage to whisper.

"Excuse me?"

_"No!"_ I bang my fist against the table. I instantly regret that decision.  
I need to keep the emotions in. I can't let them get the best of me.  
I flee the dining room and shut myself into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

_Conceal. Don't feel._

With my back blocking the door, the tears start to flow like melted snowflakes down my pale cheeks.

**Anna**

The bus is one of those reasons why every Freshman cannot possibly wait to get their license.  
At least, it's that way for me.

I can't really imagine that anyone enjoys the bus-taking experience, but I could be wrong. I've been wrong many times before.

While the other students joke about like their usual rambunctious selves, I stare out the window and daydream about Hans, the Senior boy I met today.

He's way out of my league; he's a home run and I'm still on first base. I promise I won't make any more baseball analogies. I've never even played baseball before so I have no idea where that came from.

Halfway through the ride, the rain starts pouring down, blurring my view of the outside world.  
Cars drive by as blurs of color. Trees are smudges of green.

A Sophomore boy behind me is laughing obnoxiously. I have a hunch that he's teasing one of the other kids.

It makes me mad.  
Bullying is never okay.

There is a part of me that wants to go back there and give that guy a piece of my mind, but I'm only a little Freshman girl.  
What could someone like me do or say to stop the ridicule?  
With my gracefulness (or the lack there of), I'd probably end up stuttering like an idiot and bring the ridicule upon my self.

It doesn't matter now anyway; we've finally reached my stop.

I collect all my stuff and exit the bus without looking back.

I scurry up the drive of the Oaken's house until I reach the front door, dodging the raindrops as best I can.  
I don't worry about knocking because I know Mr. and Mrs. Oaken are still at the shop.  
Yesterday was a total fluke.  
Mr. Oaken was ecstatic about the sun balm being perfected at last. He had put so much work into it, I was even glad to see him succeed!  
I was even more glad when I was informed that I would get a dish of ice cream out of the deal.  
Boy, was it ever delicious!

I fish around in my jeans pocket until my fingers are able to grasp the bronze key the Oaken's had given me.

I unlock the door and entered the empty house.  
It seems even emptier than usual for some reason.

Dumping my backpack onto the floor, I head straight to my room to get onto my lap top.  
I want to check Facebook.

Actually, I want to talk to my sister.

_Hey Elsa,  
Today was weird.  
I have this assignment to do with a kid I was paired up with by my Literature teacher. He doesn't seem to want to get together to work on it.  
Why do teachers feel the need to meddle with project partners? Why can't we just pick our partners on our own?  
We need to come up with a classic literary author to do the project on? Any ideas?  
I don't know what I'll do if I can't get my partner to meet up with me. I guess, I'll just do the project on my own if it comes down to it.  
Wait, what am I saying? That kid is going to do his share of the work even if it kills me._

_I also met this student who just transferred here to our school. I can't imagine transferring this late into the school year, can you?_

_I think it's going to storm; I can hear thunder starting to rumble.  
I wish you were here; then we could watch the storm together.  
Do you want to come over sometime?  
Anna_

A crack of thunder resounds as I log myself out.

I can't shake that nagging feeling lingering inside of me.  
I know that I could pace the entire house until the storm comes to an end, but the unsettling feeling would follow me.

_I exited the bus without looking back._

That's what everyone always did to Elsa.  
They never looked back when she needed their help.

What if they had?

_What if I had?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Elsa**

I arrive at school the next day with everything on the surface back in order.

My blonde hair is twirled up into my signature bun. Every hair lies smoothly in place.  
I do apply a little bit of makeup every day, but I keep it minimal and very natural looking.  
I find that a little bit goes a long way to help give my pale face a healthy glow.  
Without it, I look ill. I've even had people I knew come up to me before asking me about my health.  
Needless to say, I wear makeup.

Regardless of how much I groom my surface to appear put together, I know that the inner turmoil is still raging on with a passion to overcome my soul.  
I still feel shaken up over the conversation I had with Mr. Weselton.  
It's the cherry on the cake of things I can't handle.

I feel like crumbling up into a ball and letting the tears flow, but I know that I can't. Not here, not now.

Every day is like déjà vu to me as I go through the same school routine.

I make my way to my locker, much like I did yesterday.  
I have one goal and one goal alone: stay out of everyone's way.

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself because I don't get slammed by Rachel Corona today... not yet anyway.

Jack's already waiting for me by my locker.  
He appears so casual standing there, leaning against the wall as if he were waiting for his best friend in the whole world to meet up with him.  
I can't comprehend how one could possibly be so carefree about life.

"You okay?" I'm taken aback by his question. I don't know how to respond so I pretend not to have heard him as I busy myself with dialing in the combination on my lock.

He can see that I'm upset today and that bothers me more than I can express.

"Elsa?"

Now I just feel stupid because the stupid lock isn't working and I don't know what to do about it.  
I think Arendelle High needs to add new locks to the school budget next year.

"Are you ignoring me?" That teasing tone is back in his voice.

"I'm fine."

"It doesn't look like it."

"Well, maybe you need to get your eyes checked."

Jack laughs, _"maybe I need to get my eyes checked?"_

"I'm _fine!_" I shout, banging my hand against the metal of the locker out of frustration.  
I instantly feel shame and embarrassment flood through me.  
Keep your cool, Elsa.

"Whoa, calm down." Jack's voice is gentle. He brushes past me to help me with my lock. He puts the combination in and the door swings open effortlessly.  
How does he even know my combination? He really does watch me closely.

"I've never seen you lose it like that before." He steps to the side to let me access my things.

"I just... don't want to talk about it."

"Okay." He doesn't say any more on the subject. I don't know why, but this leaves a soft spot in my heart.

**Anna**

The target has been spotted

I peak around the corner in as discreet a fashion as I can possibly manage, given that I'm not the most discreet person in the world.  
I'm really just hoping not to trip myself and fall into plain sight, all while making this huge scene that makes my presence known to every person in the student body.

I'm a woman on a mission.

I can see his stocky build pushing through the hallway to get to whatever class it is he has first.

I slide down the hall after him, keeping my face out of view.  
You just never know if he'll look back.  
I keep my body pushed against the row of lockers rather than walking down the middle of the hall (that would be far too obvious).

I'm getting a few weird looks from some of the students.  
It's probably the tip-toeing. I decide that it's loud enough in the school to walk regularly.  
Although, I don't feel as secretive this way.  
You wouldn't believe how much the way that you walk affects how you feel.  
I'm beginning to understand why Rachel Corona struts wherever she goes.

I keep my eye on Kristoff.

When he takes a right, I take a right. When he takes a left, I take a left. When he goes straight, I go straight.

I follow him all throughout Arendelle High.  
I swear this kid likes to cover some ground before he settles down for the morning.  
I follow him upstairs and I follow him down upstairs.

At which point, I'm starting to get frustrated because he's walking in circles.

He takes a right. I wait several seconds before following after him.

Wait. Where'd he go?

I stop in my tracks and take in the nearly empty hallway.  
There's a couple talking to each other on the opposite end, but neither one of them is Kristoff.

Where did I go wrong? I'm sure he went this way.

I take a few steps forward and peak into an empty classroom on the left.  
I take a few more steps forward.  
I'm stumped.  
My career as a secret agent has ended before it has even begun.

I sigh, then turn on my heel to head to my own class.

Mission failed.

"Can I help you?"  
The sound makes me jump.  
Kristoff is standing in the doorway of the empty classroom, staring at me with his arms folded across his broad chest.

"Oh um..." Well this is awkward.

"You're following me." He states, bluntly.  
I guess I wasn't being discreet enough.

"Look," I begin slowly. "We really need to get together to work on that project for World Literature."

"I'm busy."

Excuse me, you don't speak that way to a secret agent. "Become un-busy. I'll meet you at the library after school."  
It's not a question nor is it a suggestion.  
It's an order.

With that, I leave him standing there and go to class.

He _will_ be at that library.

Mission accomplished.


	7. Chapter 7

**Anna**

I'm waiting patiently for Kristoff in the library (or at least I'm trying to be patient, which I think deserves acknowledgment).  
I'm sitting at one of the study tables with a pile of books scattered before me. I'm covering a wide spectrum of classics with everything from J. R. R. Tolkien's _Lord Of The Rings_ (the first in the trilogy) to Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_.  
We can't forget about C. S. Lewis, Jane Austen, or Mark Twain, now can we?

My fun fact of the day for you: did you know that Mark Twain's real name is Samuel Clemens? Mind blown.

I'm deep in my research when Kristoff quietly trudges in. He takes his seat like the good little boy I taught him to be.

"Oh, you made it?" I ask without looking up from _The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn_. "You weren't too busy?"

"Let's just get this over with."

"I agree." I slam the book shut and set it back on the table with the rest of my collection of classics. "In order to do that, we need to pick an author. Preferably not Stephen King."

He snorts. "Preferably not any of these, that's for sure."

"Excuse me, sir? These are _classics._"

"Every other student in our class is going to use these authors." He states, matter-of-fact.

"Okay, then what do you suggest?" I challenge him. If he wants to play know-it-all, then he's going to have to put some 'walk' in that 'talk'.  
I look at him evenly, my big blue eyes never wavering. He stares back.  
It's a moment locked in the most intense staring contest I've ever taken part in.  
He breaks it.  
I knew he was too weak.

"Let's just look through the shelves." He speaks. "Pick up anything that catches your attention. Focus on classics, but not on classics as painfully overused like _Moby Dick_ or _A Tale of Two Cities_."

In all honesty, I think he's just trying to be difficult, but I humor him.  
We leave the study table and go our separate ways, scourging the library shelves for hidden treasures.

I look both high and low. I crane my neck to see the top shelves and I strain my back to read the titles on the bottom.  
At this point, I'm wondering if Harry Potter would be considered a classic.

I don't see what was wrong with the authors I had already picked out. I'm about ready to tell Kristoff just this.

This is when I trip over my feet, crashing into the shelve in front of me in typical Anna fashion.  
Only one book is knocked to the ground.  
I panic because I'm sure I'm going to become known as the one who defaces library books, which is the worst thing one could possibly get labeled as in high school (right?).  
I snatch the book from the floor and examine carefully it for any damage.

_The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales._

After a thorough examination, it appears to be intact and in perfect condition (or as perfect condition as any library book can be).

"Hans Christian Andersen, eh?" Kristoff comes up from behind me, causing me to nearly drop the book again. That would have been distressing.

I almost tell him I was only holding it because I'd knocked it to the floor, but my pride gets the better of me. What he doesn't know can't hurt him.

"Uh, yeah." I say dumbly.

"That's actually a really smart idea." It looks like it pains him to admit this. I almost feel like gloating... if it weren't for the fact that I had tripped over my feet to get this book into my hands.

We walk back to our spot together. Kristoff talks in a hushed library voice about Hans Christian Andersen, which gives me reason to assume that he's officially chosen our author.

"He wrote a bunch of the classic fairy tales we all know and love still today." He whispers to me. "Like _The Little Mermaid_, _Thumbelina_, _The Princess and the Pea_, _The Snow Queen_..."

_Shrill cries of a young girl pierced through my ears.  
"They say I'm the Snow Queen!" Elsa screamed. "But I'm not the Snow Queen! I'm not!"  
I peaked through the crack in her door as my parents tried to calm her down.  
"Elsa, please," My father spoke softly. "You need to get this under control."  
"I'm not the Snow Queen. There's nothing wrong with me!"  
She repeated it over and over again.  
I'm not the Snow Queen. I'm not the Snow Queen._

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying, Anna?" Kristoff snaps.

"I'm... what?" I stutter. "Hans Christian Andersen, right?"

Kristoff rolls his eyes. I'm pretty sure I just missed a lot of really great information he was sharing with me.  
It wasn't my intention to ruin his shining moment, I assure you.

"Let's just get to a computer and do some research on this guy." Krsitoff runs his fingers through his messy blonde hair, making it even messier. "I'll man the keyboard and you can read through that." He gestures to the book in my hands.

His stride is big and confident. I struggle to keep up next to him as he leads us back to the study tables.

Once we have both settled into our places, I am ready to examine this book more closely.  
Now that I'm not looking for traces of damage, I am able to appreciate the actual details of the book itself.  
I trace my finger over the cover, over the elegant script of the title.  
_The Complete Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales._

I'm ready to go beyond the cover.

For whatever reason, I find myself subconsciously flipping through the pages directly to _The Snow Queen_.

While Kristoff types away google searches about Hans Christian Andersen, I begin to read:

_"Now then, let us begin. When we are at the end of the story we shall know more then than we know now."_


	8. Chapter 8

**Anna**

Kristoff and I spend our afternoon in the library, hours passing like cars on a highway. Time is speeding until it has been ticked away; gone forever.

I read the entirety of The Snow Queen while Kristoff stalked the author on the internet.  
Okay, he didn't stalk him. But I like that term better than 'researched'. It adds more character.

I'm pretty good at Facebook stalking and I'm pretty sure I'm way more proud of it than I should be.  
It's harmless, for the most part. Except for when I totally fail by accidentally 'liking' someone's photo from over a year ago. That's cringe-worthy.

After Kristoff and I had done a reasonable amount of research (I'll use this term for your sake), we worked on getting the actual project itself completed.  
Aside from a few skirmishes, we were able to work together unexpectedly well.  
We complete the project in a surprisingly short amount of time.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm pleased with what we have." Kristoff leans back in his chair and stretches his arms out after all the hard work he put forth.

I nod in agreement. "I'm happy with it."

"Does that mean I can go now?" He questions. "Am I free, mistress?"

I snort. "Yeah, go for it."

He collects his personal belongings and leaves me to put the books back in their proper places.  
His departure is accented by the thud of the library door as it closes firmly behind him.

I don't mind cleaning up. I'm not even being sarcastic about it either.  
I'm going to get a good grade in World Literature; I'll gladly clean up Kristoff's share of the mess.

I wander up and down the aisles, sliding each book back into it's own waiting empty slot.  
I had taken a lot of books out of their places, thus it takes me a considerable amount of time to get everything back to where it needs to be.  
When all that is said and done, I clasp my hands together and congratulation myself on a job well done.

I sling my backpack over my shoulder and head out of the building.

I turn the corner to get to the library lobby.

_Bam!_

Please, don't tell me this is happening.  
I knock right into none other than Hans the Senior.

"Oh my goodness!" I shriek. "I'm so sorry, Hans!"

He laughs. "Oh, it's you again?"

"I told you I was clumsy."

"I told you I was new. I still have no idea where I'm going."

I bite my lip. I like his playful arguments trying to take the blame for what is obviously my own fault.

"Have you been getting around the school okay?" I ask him.

"Much better since you helped me." He responds. He has a charming grin on his face. His teeth are straight and white and... perfect.

I stare at him for a moment without saying anything.  
His eyes, his hair, his teeth, his face... _perfect._  
I snap out of it.

"Well, it was nice bumping into you again." I say. "No pun intended."

I side-step around him and wave goodbye.

_Perfect._

**Elsa**

School is letting out around me, but I don't care.

I'm not in a big hurry to get home to the Weseltons.

I'm curled up on a bench in one of the emptier hallways.  
A green and gold Prom Nominations poster is hung up on the wall behind me.  
Apparently, nominations are happening tomorrow.  
Who wants to bet that Rachel Corona is going to get nominated?

Pushing my mind away from anything prom related (or life related), I turn my attention to my sketch pad and pencils.  
I like creating things.  
It's the only place where I can make something instead destroying it.

The pencil brushes lightly against the paper, producing smooth lines. It's shaping into something I'm not even entirely aware of yet.  
I like the contrast of the dark pencil against the white paper.

Dark circles turn into pretty eyes I swear I know.  
The mouth shapes into a sweet, yet humorous smile.  
Hair grows from the scalp and into two, long braids draping over slim, feminine shoulders.

_Anna._

My sister's face is staring back at me.

"Wow, that's great, Elsa."

I nearly throw the sketch pad fifteen feet down the hallway. I hadn't noticed Jack leaning against the wall. You would think I would be more aware of his sneaky ways.

"How long have you been standing there?" I glare at him.

"A few minutes." He shrugs nonchalantly. "Is that someone you know?" He gestures back to my drawing.

It feels too personal to have anyone else's eyes upon it.  
I flip the cover closed, shielding Anna from view.

"You don't have to stop." Jack protests. He's too late. I have all my stuff collected and packed back up. I stand and turn to leave.  
Of course, he follows after me and matches my stride.

"Elsa..."

I ignore him.

"Elsa."

That kid really needs to back off and stay out of my business.

_"Elsa!" _He tugs on my arm, willing me to stop.  
I do as he commands.  
I don't know why I do. I think it was something in his voice.  
Those cool, blue eyes are piercing through me with an intensity that I have never experienced before.  
It's an entirely different kind of piercing than Mr. Weseltons'.  
I find myself drawn to Jack, totally unable to shift my eyes away.

"I know you've been through a lot," he whispers. "And I'm sure I don't even know the half of it, but you can't keep shutting everyone out. Trust me. I know."  
I don't have to ask, because I'm sure he sees the question in my eyes.  
I hate that my eyes are being so revealing right now. How much can he see?

"I had a sister, Elsa." His voice is getting raspy, thick with tears I know he's trying to keep at bay. "We were ice skating on a pound a few years ago. The ice was too thin and she fell through.  
I couldn't save her."

"I'm sorry, Jack." The words are hardly audible, but I know he hears them.

He shakes the emotion away. "It took me the longest time to stop blaming myself. It wasn't my fault. What happened to your family wasn't your fault either."

A lie. But I can't bring myself to say it.


	9. Chapter 9

**Anna**

Being that I spent such a long time working on that World Literature project with Kristoff, I arrive home later than the Oaken's do for once.

"Yoo hoo!" Mr. Oaken calls to me from the kitchen as soon as I enter the house. "It's time for dinner, Anna."

Yum.  
I'm starving.

The Oaken's are good cooks, although I could do with a little less of that hearty meat they love so much.  
They're definitely a meat and potatoes kind of family.

The food feels like it sticks to my ribs before it ever reaches my stomach.  
It does it every night as it does tonight.

I vouch for small portions on my plate, while Mr. Oaken loads his up to maximum capacity.

"How was school, Anna?" His words run together. His accent never gets old. "Why did you get home so late?"

"I had to get together with someone to work on a project." I inform him. "It went well, though. I'm feeling hopeful about getting an A."

"That's very good, Anna."

Small talk is carried on as we finish the rest of our meal. Conversation is relatively easy with the Oaken's.  
They are sweet people. I like them very much.  
But they aren't my family and can't ever come anywhere close.

After I help them clear the table, I am able to go to my room to get on the internet.

I jump onto my bed and boot up my laptop.  
I wait impatiently while it loads. I feel like I'm waiting for Kristoff to arrive at the library.  
The background picture of Olivia and I finally pops up, which is my signal that I can freely browse the web now.

I click on the "internet explorer" icon, which opens up a whole other world of unlimited knowledge... or social networking.

I log into my Facebook, just as I've done so many times before.  
My password is ingrained into my brain. I hardly even need to think about what it is because my fingers are already aware of which keys to type.

I have a few notifications and a new friend request.  
I'm disappointed because I still have no messages from Elsa.  
Sighing, I click to see who is friend requesting me.

_Hans Westergaard._

I swear my heart skips a beat... or two.

It takes me less than a millisecond to accept.

I briefly go to his profile just because I'm curious.  
An enlarged photo of his profile picture greets me.  
Hans grins at me through the screen with that heart-melting smile I love so much.

_Relationship status: single._

I'm not disappointed.  
Quite the contrary, if I'm being honest.  
Satisfied, I click back into my newsfeed and decide to leave the "Facebook stalking" for another day.  
Goodness, I feel creepy saying that but I know I'm not the only one who does this.  
Come on, ladies; be honest.

All girls do it.

I enter into a new message to send to Elsa today.

_Update on that project I told you about:  
I was successfully able to convince him to work with me.  
The project is done and I'm not trying to brag or anything but... I think we're going to have the best project out of anyone else in the class; even Olivia and that brainiac partner of hers._

I want to tell her about what author we chose, but I don't know if I want to bring it up.  
I don't know if Elsa wants to hear about Hans Christian Andersen and his fairy tales.

I'm not sure what else to say, therefore, I end the message prematurely.

_Well, I hope you're doing okay.  
I'd love to hear from you and I'd like to get together whenever you're available.  
Miss you,  
Anna_

Just as I click "send", a chat message pops up.

I almost fall out of my seat.

**_Hans Westergaard: _**_Hey Anna._

Inhale, Anna. Exhale. Inhale, exhale.

I will my brain to think of something totally intelligent and witty to say.  
I've got nothing.

_**Anna Snowe:** Hey._

Oh, that was brilliant. Good job, Anna.  
I should write a book: How To End A Conversation In One Syllable Or Less.  
Luckily, my lame response doesn't end the conversation.

_**Hans Westergaard: **I feel like it's safer talking to you on here because there's no chance of getting plowed over._

I literally laugh out loud. He's got a great sense of humor.

_**Anna Snowe:** Haha very funny._

_**Hans Westergaard:** I know I am._

_**Anna Snowe:** Now don't go getting a big head..._

_**Hans Westergaard:** New kids can't get big heads; it's against the new kid code._

_**Anna Snowe:** Do you miss your old school?_

_**Hans Westergaard:** Yeah, but mostly my girlfriend._

My heart sinks a little. Facebook lied to me.

_**Hans Westergaard:** She threw a fit when she found out I was moving. She broke up with me. We were supposed to go to prom together._

I spoke too soon. I almost feel bad because I don't feel bad. It's one of those "sorry not sorry" moments in life.

_**Anna Snowe:** That's too bad :(_

_**Hans Westergaard:** I know. Prom is approaching fast and I have no idea who to go with. I hardly know anybody at this school._

_**Anna Snowe: **Well, at least you know one person. You know me!_

_**Hans Westergaard:** Does that mean you want to go to Prom with me?_

_**Anna Snowe:** Does that mean you're asking?_

_**Hans Westergaard:** Would you say yes?_

_**Anna Snowe:** Yes :)_

I can't type those three letters and that smiley face fast enough.

**Elsa**

Jack stays with me.

He sits next to me on the bench in the deserted school hallway.

He chatters away to keep the stale silence from taking over.  
He tells me about all of his greatest achievements as the school prankster and the class clown.

I like that he doesn't expect me to say anything while he tells his stories.  
I don't feel obligated to do anything other than sit and try my best to keep the demons and hobgoblins away.

"Are you ready for me to take you home?" Jack asks at last.

I shrug.

"Does that mean you're actually considering letting me drive you home for once?" He nudges me playfully.

I shrug again.

"You can trust me, Elsa."

"I know." I sigh. "I know, because you're a lot like me. More than anybody else I've ever known." I pause. "You even have hair like mine."

Jack reaches up to run his fingers through his hair, which is nearly a perfect match in color to my own.

"I bleached mine." Jack admits. "I went through a bad boy act after my sister passed away. I bleached it and it just stuck."

"I figured." I say. "But mine's naturally this way."

"I like it."

"Well, most people don't." My voice is hushed. "For years, they mocked me by calling me... by calling me the... Snow Queen.  
It doesn't sound as bad now as it did when I was younger. I feel stupid for even bringing it up."

"Don't." Jack takes my hand and squeezes it. It feels cold.

"I'm ready to go." I yank my hand away and stand up.

Jack takes the hint. He stands and leads the way out to his car.

Before I follow after him, I could have sworn I heard something behind me.  
Something or some_one_.

When I turn to look back, all that is there is an empty hallway.


	10. Chapter 10

**Anna**

It's Friday.  
Almost exactly one week before Prom, which will take place next Saturday.  
And guess who's going to be attending? Me!

I was so excited last night that I hardly slept.  
I couldn't believe Hans had asked me to the Prom; I still can't!

I want to so much to tell Elsa the good news, but since I had already messaged her that night, I decide that I'll tell her when I get home from school today.  
It isn't my intention to spam her inbox.

Olivia pounces on me as soon as I emerge through the school doors.

"It's Prom Nomination Day, Anna!" She claps excitedly as if it's all too much for her to handle.  
I'm not sure why. She won't even be going to the Prom.

"Did you vote yet?" I ask her.

"Of course not! I wanted to wait for you!"

Looping her arm through mine, she tugs me along down the hallway until we reach the room set aside for the ballot boxes.  
Long wood tables are lined up along the wall. Several ballot boxes have been set atop these table, waiting expectedly for slips of paper to be shoved inside.  
The blue boxes are for Prom King and the pink ones for the Queen.

There's a small crowd of students waiting in line to make their nominations.  
Olivia and I wait patiently for our turn. I feel like I'm waiting for Kristoff again.  
When at last our time has come, I take one of the yellow, wooden pencils and a scrap of white paper.

I already know that Hans gets my vote for King; that's an easy one.

One needs a minimum of 10 nominations to get put into the running.  
If he doesn't get any others, at least he gets one.

I scrawl his name down and shove it into the blue box.

Rachel Corona would be the easy choice for Prom Queen. We already know that she's going to win the crown regardless of who else gets put into the running against her.  
That being said, if Rachel already has it in the bag, why would she need one more nomination from the lowly Freshman girl? She doesn't.  
Without thinking twice, I write down the name of the Senior girl who is the true queen in my eyes.

_Elsa Snowe._

**Elsa**

As much as I hate to admit it, I really liked riding home with Jack yesterday.

He didn't say another word about any of the things I didn't want to talk about.

He dropped me off at the Weseltons, saying he'd see me tomorrow.

My hand still feels tingly from where he touched me.

The warning in the back of my mind is still going off. _Stay away from him, Elsa. He's getting too close. You know what happens to people who get too close._

My dreams drifted away that night to somewhere I'm not entirely sure I wanted them to go:

_"It's ok, it's ok." Jack's voice was ever so gentle, but it wasn't quite gentle enough to hide the quivering fear. "Don't look down; just look at me."_

_The hair atop his head was dark brown, giving him an entirely different look from his bleached blonde. Surprisingly, it wasn't unattractive._

_He stood facing a little girl who shared the same facial features as him. She was several feet away, trembling as she stood on the thin sheet of ice._

_The pond wasn't frozen enough to hold their weight._

_"Jack, I'm scared." The little girl cried as the iced cracked further around her feet._

_"I know, I know," He took a few steps closer to her, pausing when the pond split the slightest bit under his own feet. "But you're going to be all right. You're not going to fall in." He struggled to conceal his inner panic, which he overcame by his usual playful nature breaking loose. "We're going to have a little fun instead!"_

_"No, we're not!" Tears were streaming down her frost-kissed cheeks._

_"Would I trick you?"_

_"Yes, you always play tricks!" This seemed to get her mind away from the danger at hand. She sounded indignant, as if she endured many years as the victim of his silly jokes._

_He laughed nervously. "Well, not this time. I promise, you're going to be fine."  
He paused before saying, "You have to believe in me."_

_The girl looked up at her brother with big, scared eyes._

_"Do you want to play a game?" Jack urged his animated self to kick back in. He was fighting to calm his sister down. "We're going to play hopscotch; like we play every day. It's as easy as one-" He stepped to the right. The ice weakened under the movement. "Two." He jumped again, in as silly a way as he could manage. The young girl laughed. "Three!" With one last leap, he made it over to where a long stick was lying on the ice. "Now it's your turn."  
He grasped the stick in his strong, pale hands; the same hands that held mine.  
"One, two-" The girl struggled on her skates to move closer to her brother. "Three!"_

_Faster than lightning, Jack swept the rod over to his sister, hooked it around her legs, and launched her away from the decaying ice.  
Her little body slid across the slippery surface of the pond._

_She laid there for several moments without moving.  
Jack watched her, too anxious to breathe._

_At last, she stood up to her feet. They locked gazes with one another, both smiling with euphoria. They each let out their own laugh of joy._

_'We did it.' They seemed to say._

_Without any warning, the ice shattered underneath her feet, plummeting her below the surface of the deadly cold waters._

"Jack!" I screamed, jerking myself up in bed.  
It was just a dream, and yet it wasn't.  
Jack's sister died.

I hate that I was dreaming about Jack. I hate that I had to see him that way.  
Jack, the prankster and the trickster that I know him as, had never seemed quite so afraid as he did then.

As morning came upon me, I was glad to rise from bed and ready myself for school.  
I didn't want to toss and turn a moment longer.

As I walk to school alone, I swear to myself that I need to distance myself from Jack.  
It doesn't matter how much I love it when he drives me home.  
It doesn't matter how much I love the tingly coolness of his hands when they touch my own.  
It doesn't matter how much I love Jack.

Anyone who gets close to me always ends up getting hurt.

I can't let that happen to Jack.

Jack isn't at all like the monster that I am.  
He tried to save his sister.  
He might have failed, but he tried.

I almost double over retching on the sidewalk as I remember what I did to my own sister.

I'm not like Jack.


	11. Chapter 11

**Anna**

After World Literature, I ditch Olivia during our lunch break.

We always eat lunch together, but I know she doesn't mind.  
She has her carrots to keep her company.  
I don't know why, but she always has to pack carrots in her lunch.  
It's her favorite food.  
She's not a health nut or anything. She just really likes carrots.

I plop my tray down next to Kristoff's, who is sitting at his usual table all by himself.  
Sorry, Kristoff; you get company today.

"We got an A!" I sing out as I scoot into my seat.

"Uh, yeah." He shouldn't act so excited...

Out of the corner of my eye, I can see him glancing at me with an unsure look upon as his face. I ignore his uncertainty, shoveling food into my mouth without a care in the world.

"I wanted to thank you for cooperating." I add. "Do you see what happens when you put effort into something? You succeed."

"Yeah..."

This boy is infuriating.

I eat my lunch while babbling on about nothing all that important; he "yeah's" along nonchalantly.  
I can't believe I left Olivia and her carrots for this guy.  
It's obvious that he doesn't want me around, but I don't particularly care.  
He'll get over it eventually.

"So, do you have anything you like do to?" I question. It's my best attempt at small talk. "Like... hobbies?"

He raises his eyebrow at me, almost as if to say 'you actually think I'm going to answer that?'.

"Do _you_?" He challenges me.

"Well, I like to Facebook stalk. Wait... no. I'm joking. I wouldn't do that." I stutter. "I wouldn't... never mind."

I'm sure my face is bright red.  
He looks amused.

Oh Anna, why must you always say things before you think about what you're actually saying?

"Do you Facebook stalk me?" He asks.

"I don't think we're friends."

"We aren't?"

"Not on Facebook."

"What about real life?" He looks up from his food to peer at me, the question shining in his eyes.

"Well," I start. "I'd like to be."

He tilts his head, as if he isn't at all sure of what he's looking at.  
"Hm." All I get is a grunt in response.  
I'm not entirely sure at all what that is supposed to mean.

"I like riding horses." He switches subjects on me.

"Oh."

"I have a horse. I board him at a stable in town. His name is Sven." He hesitates before adding, "He's like my best friend."

Somehow I know that this is a special piece of information he has shared with me.  
It's something personal and I get the feeling that Kristoff doesn't give away anything personal to just anyone.  
I also get the feeling he has a big bag filled with secrets buried deeper inside that tough surface.

"I'd like to meet Sven some time." Because I have a feeling that if I were to meet  
Sven, it would mean Kristoff and I were friends. I also have a feeling that if we were friends, he would hand out more of those secrets he keeps stashed away.

Lunch break passes, as does the remainder of the school day.

I endure the bus ride home to the Oaken's.

As soon as I am in the door, I dash to my room to tell Elsa my news about Hans.

While the computer is booting up, I ponder over what I'm going to write to her.  
I start to wonder if maybe I shouldn't tell Elsa everything.  
Maybe it's better that she doesn't know I'm going to be at the Prom.  
I don't want her to avoid me.

I settle on this:

_Hey Elsa,  
I have major news.  
Do you remember me telling you about that new guy I just met the other day?  
Well, he asked me out last night.  
I'm so exhilarated beyond all possible words.  
I've never had a date before.  
What do I do? What do I say?  
He's so perfect, Elsa. I wish you could meet him.  
I wish we could talk about this face to face.  
Do you want to get together?  
Anna_

**Elsa**

I avoided Jack all day as best as I could.

He knew something was wrong, just as he always does; but he doesn't push it because he never does.

The school was abuzz with Prom Nominations, which I tried to ignore. It was impossible, but you can't blame me for trying.

The green and gold posters were on every wall, in every hallway.  
I saw them on every door. I saw them being passed from student to student. I saw them being crumpled onto the dirty, tile floor.  
Green and gold blurred together in a radiant display of school pride.

I didn't bother to nominate anyone.  
I didn't want to scrawl anyone's name on a silly piece of scrap paper.  
I didn't want anything to do with any of it.

Is royalty truly based on nothing more than a popularity contest?

We all are already fully aware that Rachel Corona is going to be crowned  
Prom Queen, with Flynn Rider at her right-hand side.

I already know that my stomach will churn at the sight.

Rachel is no queen.

I sigh.

Who do I think I am to make that assumption?  
Rachel is gorgeous, popular, and perfect.  
Of course she's the only one qualified for the job.

I'm the one who isn't a queen.  
I will never be a queen or anything else for that matter.

These are the ponderings of a girl as she walks home from a long, trying day of school.  
I'm ready for the weekend.  
I'm ready for a break from all of this.

As soon as I take one step inside the Weseltons' home, Mr. Weselton is already pouncing on me. "Have you thought any more about what we spoke of the other day, Elsa?"

"Yes." I respond, curtly. "My answer is still _no_."

A shiver runs up my spine as I leave him there to go to my room.  
I can feel his eyes burning into me with each step.  
Something just feels so... _off_.

"I hope you reconsider." I hear him mutter under his breath before closing my door behind me.

I should know that regardless of whether or not it is a weekend, there is no break from any of this.

I sit on my bed with my sketch pad on my lap.  
I ruffle through the pages to my drawing of Anna.  
I sit for hours just like this; staring at the ceiling with Anna closer to me than she will be ever again.  
It's just how I want it to be.  
I don't want Anna any closer than this.

I swear myself away from Facebook for the weekend.  
I don't want to read any of her messages.

_It's just too painful._


	12. Chapter 12

**Elsa**

As soon as I walk through the school doors on Monday morning, I know something isn't right.

"Congratulations, Elsa!" A girl, who I don't know, calls to me as she passes by.

I suppose, if it had only been one person to say this to me, I could brush it off as being a simple mistake. Maybe the girl had mistaken me for someone else. Maybe she thought I was a different really pale girl with colorless hair. Maybe there is another 'Elsa' in the school I'm not aware of. Maybe the poor girl is just going crazy and has no idea who anybody in the entire school is. Maybe she doesn't even know who her family is. Maybe she thinks I'm her long, lost cousin and she was just congratulating me on finding her again.

Unfortunately, she isn't the only person to say this to me.

Each student that passes by either verbally give their congratulations or nod their head at me in acknowledgement.

I have no need to push my way through the crowd of students today because they are clearing the way for me.

Maybe they're all going crazy.  
Maybe they all think I'm their long, lost cousin.

"Congrats, Elsa!"

What's going on here? Why are these people looking at me? Why are they treating me like I'm their queen?  
Why aren't they letting me blend into the lockers like the invisible girl I'm good at being.

A familiar feeling floods through me like a coursing river.

_I was walking down the hallway. It was a school hallway, but not any of the hallways in Arendelle High.  
As I walked, each step reverberated off the walls and mingled with the whispers.  
They had their hands to their mouths, shielding the movement of their lips from me.  
But I knew they were whispering and I knew they were whispering about me.  
_

_"Did you hear about what she did to her sister?"  
_

_"Who hasn't?"  
_

_"She really is the Snow Queen."  
_

_Nobody laughed. No one ever laughs when they are afraid. _

_"I always told you to watch out for Elsa Snowe. She'll freeze anything she touches."_

_Someone made a feeble attempt at standing up for me. "Shhh... you guys might hurt her feelings."_

_"Oh please, Elsa doesn't have feelings. Her heart is far too cold to feel anything."_

_I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking, averting my eyes from any of their frightened faces._

_They were afraid of me just as I was. _

"Elsie!" Rachel Corona meets me at my locker.

I look around for Jack, but he isn't anywhere near.

I feel suspicious of Rachel's bubblegum-sweet act she's putting on right now.  
The sweeter she's being, the more evil she's hiding.

"Hi Rachel." I don't make eye contact. I keep my head down as I fiddle with my lock.

"I just wanted to congratulate you." The tone of her voice is so cold, I can't stop my body from shuttering. The lock fell from my hand, causing it to swing back against the locker with a metallic clang.

"Congratulate me on what?" I turn around, ever so slowly, to face her. I am afraid to look her in the eyes, but I force myself to do it anyway.  
Rachel's gorgeous, green eyes are glimmering wickedly.

"On being nominated." She answers simply.

"On... what?"

"Being. _Nominated_." She pronounces each syllable clearly, as if talking to a mere child. She has one perfectly shaped eyebrow arched.

I don't know what kind of game she's playing with me, but I know that I don't like it.  
A knot is forming in the pit of my stomach.

"That's not possible." I blurt out. "I would have to of gotten ten nominations. I couldn't have gotten even one nomination. Who would even nominate me?"

Rachel laughs. I don't like that laugh. "I did, silly."

I have been rendered speechless.

She steps closer to me; I can feel her breath on my neck. She whispers in my ear, "After all, I think the Snow Queen deserves to at least have a chance to be Prom Queen, don't you?"  
She snickers as she backs away from me.  
One eyebrow is still arched, however, it has lost all innocent pretense. There is no mistaking the evil lurking behind the face of Rachel Corona.

She stares me down with a look that tightens the knot in my stomach before she leaves me standing there by my locker, all alone.

Instantly, my mind shoots back to last week when I was talking to Jack.

_"For years, they mocked me by calling me... by calling me the... Snow Queen." I remember myself saying. "It doesn't sound as bad now as it did when I was younger. I feel stupid for even bringing it up."  
"Don't." Jack took my hand and squeezed it. I remember how the cold shot straight through my pale skin.  
"I'm ready to go." I yanked my hand away and stood.  
Jack got to his feet after me. He proceeded to wander down the hall, heading for the school exit so he could take me home.  
Before I followed after him, I heard something behind me. When I turned to look, all that I was met with was an empty hallway.  
I could have sworn I has heard something. Or someone._

It was Rachel Corona I had heard.  
It was Rachel Corona who had heard me speaking to Jack about a secret darker than she could ever possibly imagine.  
It is Rachel Corona who is playing with fire.  
The only problem is that fire isn't what she's playing with; quite the contrary.

Her words echo in my head as I make my way to my class. It torments my mind like the whispers of gossiping teenagers.

_After all, I think the Snow Queen deserves to at least have a chance to be Prom Queen, don't you?_


	13. Chapter 13

**_A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to let y'all know that I will be trying my best to make my chapters a little bit longer. I've already completely written about 4 more chapters that are ready to be uploaded, so I'm hoping to make the chapters I write after the ones I've already completed a little longer. I have the world's worst attention span (no joke) and I find that writing long chapters is a weakness I have because of it.  
I will try to overcome my struggles for you! Hopefully this will result in slightly longer chapters. :)  
Happy reading!_**

**Anna**

You know it's a weird day when you're walking to World Literature all by yourself.

I have no idea where Olivia is.

I'm feeling slightly insecure as I make my way down the hall with a group of me, myself, and I.

A couple brush past me. He has his arm around her tiny waist while her body is leaning it's insubstantial weight against his side. I bite my lip as I watch them disappear down the hall before me, drowning into the crowd of high school students.  
He has her and she has him. It's the way it's supposed to be.

Hans' smiling face flashes in my mind.

I have Hans.

Over the weekend, I was met with disappointment when I checked time and time again to see whether or not Elsa had responded to my message.  
She hadn't. She never does.

I shake myself out of my melancholy mood and meander into Mr. Wright's classroom.

I'm hoping to see Olivia in her usual seat next to mine, but it looks like she hasn't made it in yet.

My eyes wander from Olivia's desk to where I know Kristoff's is located.  
He's here.  
He doesn't notice me (or let on that he notices me) as he sits casually in his usual seat waiting for class to begin.  
Being that I still have a few more minutes until Mr. Wright will come in, I can't help but go over to Kristoff.

"Hey." I give a little wave when he looks up at me. He nods his head with as little effort as he can possibly give. It's his way of acknowledging my existence. How thoughtful of him.

An awkward silence passes as I stand before him, not knowing what to say.  
I break this silence by speaking the first words that come to my mind. This move is a mistake that repeats itself every moment of every day.

"I'm ready to meet Sven."

His head snaps up. "What?" It looks like I've gotten his attention.

"After school." I explain. "I'll meet you at the stable."

Before he can protest, I twirl around and leave him so that I might take my own seat.

This is when Olivia comes racing in. She's out of breath and totally hysterical.  
"Anna!" She gasps for air.  
She sprints up to me, arms flailing and panting like a dog.  
Her hair is a complete mess as each strand is standing up in every which direction.

Sweat glistens on her face as if she were a melting snowman.

"What happened to you?" I can't help but ask. The crazy girl had to have ran at top speed through the entire school to arrive in a state like this.

"Nevermind me." She waves her hand to swat away my question. "There's more important stuff going on right now."

"Well, what is it?"

"I found out the results for the Prom Nominees." With the way she says this, you would think she found buried treasure in the back of her locker.

"So?" I roll my eyes. "We already know Rachel was nominated. Anyone else is no competition."

Olivia gives me that 'I know something you don't' look. I'm getting curious. She needs to just spit it out already.

Her eyes are bigger and rounder than I ever thought imaginable. "Your sister is in the running for Prom Queen."

_"Elsa?"_ I'm sure my mouth is gaping open.

"Unless you have another sister you haven't told me about."

"Elsa?" I repeat, with even more disbelief oozing from my voice. "My sister? How is that even possible?"  
In my mind, I can see myself scrawling my sister's name on a slip of paper before stuffing it into a pink ballot box.  
I know I voted for her, but I never imagined in a million years that anybody else would, too.

Olivia plops into her seat just as Mr. Wright comes striding into the room.

She whispers to me just as class is officially starting, "I don't know how, but I know that Elsa _is_ in the running for Prom Queen."

**Elsa**

By the middle of the school day, the gossip reaches my ear.

I'm horrified.

Sitting at my desk, collecting up my textbooks as the other students file out, I hear two girls talking behind me. They're trying to be quiet, but they aren't trying hard enough.

I'm sure they're aware of my presence because everyone is over aware of my presence today.

"The _Snow Queen_ is running for the crown." The first girl tells her friend as if this is some sort of juicy information.

I can't help but grimace.  
Rachel is spreading this around for all it's worth.  
Everyone in the student body is going to know me as the Snow Queen.

_Not again._

I slow my task of putting my books back in my bag. Each textbook slides into my backpack and onto the book preceding it at a snails pace.  
The words on the titles blur as I realize the tears are building up in my eyes.

_Please, not again._

The second girl laughs. "That's not even the best part."  
"It isn't?" Her friend asks, clearly not impressed by this claim of superiority.  
"Nope."  
"What else did you hear?"  
The second girl is eager to inform her friend about the latest gossip. "The Snow Queen might be running for Prom Queen, but do you know who else was nominated by her side?"  
The silence answers her question. Her friend doesn't know and neither do I.  
I'm not sure I want to.

"_Jack Frost._"

I didn't want to.

"Jack Frost and the Snow Queen," The girls are cracking up as they exit the classroom. "Arendelle's perfect couple."

Rachel Corona is capable of more evil than I originally gave her credit for.  
She didn't just use her powers to get me nominated.  
No, that would have been far too nice of her.

If there's one thing I know about Rachel, it's that she is anything but nice.  
She might be beautiful with that long, shiny hair of hers. She might be popular with a number of students willing to do whatever it is she asks of them. She might be a lot of things, but 'nice' is most definitely not one of those things.

She used her powers to dig even deeper by throwing Jack into the flames right by my side. Jack, the one person who I want to keep as far away as possible from me.

With the departure of the two gossips, I'm left in solitude, just as I like it.

Because when you're alone, it's okay for the tears to fall.


	14. Chapter 14

Elsa

I swear the clock hates me, ticking at a pace that would put even the slowest turtle to shame.

I can't get through each of my classes fast enough.  
As the final bell rings out, I can't get out of this school fast enough.

I'm walking as fast as I can without breaking into a full-blown run.

On high alert for Jack, I glance around cautiously before approaching my locker.  
There isn't any sign of him.  
Relieved, I advance to my locker. Working with haste, I dial in my combination and yank the door open wide. My lock doesn't act up today, for which I am grateful.  
I do what I need to do as fast as I can possibly do it.  
Once I've done this, I slam the door closed and make a beeline for the exit.

I've got to get out of here.

Just as I'm starting to feel hopeful about getting out of this place alive, I hear a familiar voice calling me from behind.

"Elsa, wait up!"

I know Jack's voice like the back of my hand... maybe better.

"Elsa," He catches up to me. "We need to talk."

"No, we don't." I sound shaken up and I know it.

He reaches out to me; I jerk away from him before he can make contact.

_"Getting upset will only make it worse." My father reasoned. "Calm down."  
He reached out to comfort me. I jumped back, pushing against my bedroom wall as far away from him as I could.  
"Don't touch me!" I cried. At that age, I shouldn't have been crying. "I don't want to hurt you; I don't want to hurt anyone!"  
Please. Please, don't touch me._

"Jack, just stay away from me." The tears are too close. They mingle with my words, causing them to slur together.

I abandon my previous plan to walk out of the school. Walking isn't an option at this point.  
I run.

_Conceal. Don't feel._

**Anna**

Mr. Oaken generously takes the time away from his store to drive me to Arendelle Stable.

"Why are you going to this place, Anna?" Mr. Oaken questions me as I stare out the passenger window, watching the landscape roll by. I love how he pronounces his 'w's like 'v's.

"I want to see the horses!" I exclaim, totally enthused.

"Only one crazy enough to go out in this heat is you, dear." Little rocks crunch underneath the tires as he steers us into the Stable's drive. "You and that fellow."  
He's pointing at the stocky figure of a familiar dirty blonde. I grin. I knew Kristoff would come if I ordered him to.

"I have your sun balm, remember?" When the car comes to a stop, I pull on the handle to let myself out.

"Yah." Mr. Oaken nods. He's still really proud of his invention.

I give him a little wave goodbye before turning toward the stable building. I head in the direction I had seen Kristoff going.

Mr. Oaken was right. The Summer heat is coming in faster than even Olivia could've imagined.

My strawberry blonde bangs already feel damp with perspiration.  
My clothes are sticking to my skin with the humidity.  
I cope with the unpleasant heat as I march across the gravel driveway to the large building where I'm almost certain the horses are kept.

The large door is already open, thus all I have to do is peer in to see if Kristoff is inside. I am met with an awful stench. Stables sure don't smell like flowers.

There is a long, empty aisle running through the middle of the stable. From this main aisle, individual stalls are hidden behind large doors, just tall enough to keep the horses from escaping.

I don't see Kristoff anywhere in sight, but I can hear an unidentifiable sound coming from farther within the building.

I advance down the aisle, taking each step very slowly. I wouldn't want to upset any of the animals by making an offensive racket. As I get near enough, I am able to better hear this mysterious noise.

"Horses are better than people, Sven, don't you think that's true?" Is that.. Kristoff singing? I'm dumbfounded by this revelation. His singing isn't at all unpleasant, but I never imagined I'd ever hear Kristoff actually sing.

"Yeah, people will beat you and curse you and cheat you." He changes the tone of his voice. It's deeper and more animated this way. "Every one of them's bad except you." He laughs and speaks, "Oh, thanks buddy."

I've reached the other end of the building now. Standing on my tip-toes, I can see Kristoff inside one of the stalls with a chocolate-colored horse, saddling it up.

I cough to get his attention. "Nice duet."

He's caught off guard. The tips of his ears turn pink. "Oh, it's you."

Judging by his reaction, I'm assuming he doesn't like that I caught him singing with his horse.

"Is this Sven?" I ask. I'll take it easy on him and I won't tease him about the singing thing... at least not right now.

"Yup." After un-latching the stall door, Kristoff leads Sven by the reigns out into the aisle to me.  
It feels disconcerting to have such a large animal so close to me.

"Pet him." Kristoff urges. I glance at him, unsure.

He rolls his eyes at me.

This time, I'm the one caught by surprise when he grasps my hand in his, yanking it toward Sven. My fingers are sandwiched between Kristoff's and the chocolate-brown coat of Sven's body.  
Kristoff's hand is so large, it practically swallows mine whole.

After a few moments, I can feel my muscles gradually relaxing from its previous 'stiff as a board' state.

Kristoff moves his hand away as I run my fingers over Sven's soft fur.

"You ready to ride him?" Kristoff asks, bluntly.

Without waiting for a response, he pushes past me and loops his boot into the stirrup dangling down from Sven's saddle. With a single burst of strength, he heaves himself up onto the saddle of the horse.

He's way up there and I'm way down here. I have to crane my neck to look at him.

"Are you coming?" He holds his hand out to me, offering his assistance to help me mount.

I hesitate.

I know Kristoff won't let me get hurt.

Placing my hand into his firm grip, I let him pull me up into the space behind him.  
It feels strange to be so close to him.

With the gentle kick of Kristoff's boots against the horse's sides, we're off.  
The movement lurches me forward. I wrap my arms around Kristoff's waist to secure myself.  
The last thing I want to do today is fall off a horse.

We gallop out of the stable, over the gravel drive, and onto a trail leading us into the forest.

I can feel every muscle in Kristoff's back tense with the labor he puts forth.

I am closer now to Kristoff than I have ever been with anyone before.

Of all the things that have taken me by surprise today, this new realization beats out everything else:_ I like it._


	15. Chapter 15

**Elsa**

The tears are streaming down my pale face as I pace circles around my bedroom.

My sneakers thud against the hardwood floors.

I didn't take the time to yank the shoes off of my feet as I entered the Weseltons' home. I'm wondering now if maybe I should have.  
I know I'm making a racket.  
I'm worried that Mr. Weselton will get angry. He probably doesn't appreciate me wearing holes through his shiny, wood floors.

"Get it together." I mutter to myself in desperation. "Don't feel, don't feel, _don't feel!_"

The tears continue to flow.  
The pain spreads from my tear ducts, reaching into that broken place in the depths of my heart.  
My fragile body shakes with the sobs.  
I slide down to the floor, losing the strength to pace.

_Conceal, don't feel._

Impulsively, I look up to my bed at the blue Dell laptop lying on top of my comforter.  
Without standing up, I stretch my arms out to pull the computer down to me.  
While waiting for it to boot up, I aggressively swipe the tears from my cheeks.

_Don't let it show._

My background is set to a picture of my parents. I look nothing like them.  
I was always told I looked like my mother. I never saw the comparison. My skin was always far too pale and my hair far too light. It still is.

I click into my internet browser, which automatically pops up Facebook as my homepage.  
I haven't checked my notifications all weekend.  
Against my better judgment, I log in to check them now.  
With one tap of the 'enter' button, my fate is sealed.

I have more notifications than I've had in a long time.  
I have several new friend requests, several posts on my timeline, and several messages waiting in my inbox.  
After reading a few of the posts, the reason behind all of this activity becomes very clear.

The stupid gossip about the Snow Queen has reached social media.

I'm being mocked online.

My hands are shaking as I scroll down to read my nightmares coming to life.

I think the part that bothers me most about all of this is that it's being done in jest. These people don't know what all of this actually means to me.  
These people don't understand what they're doing.  
Do they?

I've had enough of this.

I decide to skim through my messages before logging out. I want to make sure I don't miss anything that's actually important.

_Anna Snowe._

Her name catches my eye.  
Of course, I'm not surprised that she sent me a message. She sends me messages every day.  
I just never respond.

You can't hurt someone if you don't talk to them.  
_You also can't hurt someone just by reading their messages._ I reason with myself.

I click on my sister's message.

_Hey Elsa,  
I have major news.  
Do you remember me telling you about that new guy I just met the other day?  
Well, he asked me out last night.  
I'm so exhilarated beyond all possible words.  
I've never had a date before.  
What do I do? What do I say?  
He's so perfect, Elsa. I wish you could meet him.  
I wish we could talk about this face to face.  
Do you want to get together?  
Anna_

Being that I'm not feeling all that emotionally stable right now, I find that this particular message bothers me more than it probably should.

What the heck is she thinking?

Before I can stop myself, my fingers smash against the keyboard in a fury to respond to my sister's stupidity.

**Anna**

Kristoff and I ride through the forest trail in silence.

It isn't at all an awkward silence; it is a peaceful one.

I enjoy listening to the sounds of nature as they mingle together with Kristoff's heavy breathing.  
I enjoy examining all the different shapes and sizes of the trees; trees are kind of like people.

I don't enjoy the sticky humidity and the drippy sweat, but the things I enjoy far outweigh these minuscule setbacks.

After a while, Kristoff permits Sven to slow from a gallop to a gentle walk.  
This slower pace is much more conversation friendly.

"I think my sister would like this." I muse. "It's so calm and quiet out here. She would like that."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"I do." I pause before adding, "I just haven't heard from her in over a year."

Kristoff glances back at me. "That's a long time. Did you get into a fight or something?"

"It's complicated."

Weeds rustle underneath Sven's hooves as he walks through an overgrown section of the trail.

I decide to take a chance and try to dig into something a little more personal. "You're in foster care, right? Like me?"

His muscles tense. "Yeah." One word responses are never a good sign.

I go on talking about myself so as not to shove the conversation onto him. It might make him feel more comfortable.  
"I'm staying with the Oaken's. They aren't originally from around here, although I'm not quite sure where they immigrated from. Mr. Oaken has the coolest accent, though." I babble. "They run their own store here in town. It's pretty cool and they are too. I like them all right."

"What happened to your parents?" His question breaks through my babbling.

"They died in a car accident." I don't mind telling him. How can you expect someone to share stuff with you if you don't share stuff with them?

"I'm sorry." He looks back at me again. The sadness in his eyes is genuine.  
He sighs heavily before continuing. "My parents are alive. They just aren't... they just aren't much of parents.  
My mom left and my dad... he's in prison."

I bite down on my lip. I think I taste blood, but I'm not focusing on that at this moment. I'm focusing on Kristoff and his pain. He just handed me another secret from that bag he keeps hidden away.  
It's my turn to apologize. "I'm sorry, too."

Sven takes us around a bend in the trail, his hooves hitting against the ground in a melancholy manner. It looks like we're not the only ones feeling down.

"I live with the Pabbie's now." Kristoff goes on. "Dr. Pabbie and his wife."

_A throbbing pain in my head took over nearly all consciousness.  
I felt like I was swimming, trying to come up for air, but not quite able to emerge above the surface of the water.  
A black fog was blanketing my mind. It was as thick as smoke, but it wasn't real.  
Through the slightest slit in my eyelids, I thought I could see white walls. If there were white walls, then the fog couldn't have been real.  
I heard voices echoing into the nothingness I was in.  
"Dr. Pabbie, will she be all right?" That was my mother.  
"She will be okay." This voice was unfamiliar to me. It was a man's voice. "She has a concussion from hitting her head, but she will be okay."  
The relieved sighs of my parents resonated into the endless fog.  
The unfamiliar man spoke again. I don't know why, but I knew that liked his voice. He sounded like someone worth trusting. "She may not remember exactly what happened. It may be for the best if you keep it that way."  
I faded farther away from consciousness then. The fog was getting thicker, spreading itself in between my parents and I.  
I was sinking into the ocean when I wanted ever so desperately to come up for air._

"Are you okay?" Kristoff is craning his neck back, staring at me with a concerned expression on his face.

"What?" I shake my head, clearing all unwanted thoughts away. "Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry, I space out a lot."

Sven trots around one more corner. With this last turn, we find ourselves at the end of the forest trail and back on the grounds of Arendelle Stable.

"Good boy, Sven." Kristoff pats his horse's head, lovingly. "When we get back, you get a carrot."  
This makes me think of Olivia. I think she'd rather like Sven... and his carrots.

From here, I can see Mr. Oaken's car parked in the drive, waiting patiently to pick me up.

Kristoff dismounts Sven first. After doing this, he helps me climb from the tall horse back to the safety of the ground.  
My legs hurt a considerable amount.

"This was really fun, Kristoff!" I grin up at him.

"Yeah." He nods as he leads Sven by the reins back toward the stable building. "Well, it looks like your ride is here." He gestures over to the gravel drive.

"It was nice meeting you, Sven!" I rub the horse playfully. My fear of him has subsided greatly since riding upon his back for the past couple of hours.  
I part ways with them here. They continue on toward the stable and I skip away to the driveway. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kristoff!"

On the ride back to the Oaken's house, I enthusiastically tell Mr. Oaken all about what it's like to ride a horse. He doesn't seem to mind that my words are running together due to the excitement that has taken it's hold on me.

By the time we're back home, I'm already thinking about the detailed message I'm going to send Elsa.  
Maybe she's going to want to go riding with me sometime!

I'm so excited that I can't possibly wait until after dinner to log onto Facebook.  
I take the few extra minutes to do it now.  
Typing at the speed of light, I log into my account.

I only have one new message waiting to be read. I brush it aside, figuring this message can wait until I have more time, but as I click into my inbox... my whole world literally stops.

That one new message is from my sister.

Elsa responded to my message.  
For the first time in forever, Elsa actually responded to my message!

I click on it faster than I clicked to accept Hans' friend request.

My stomach drops as I take in the first nine words Elsa has said to me in over a year.

_Anna, you can't date a boy you just met._


	16. Chapter 16

**Anna**

Elsa's message is engrained into my mind.

For the first time ever, I have no idea what to say to my sister.  
The message remains in my inbox, read but not replied.

I toss and turn all night long, caught in a restless sleep.

_Anna, you can't date a boy you just met._ It repeats in my mind over and over again until my alarm finally lets me emerge into a consciousness capable of pulling myself away.

I whack my hand aggressively against my clock to cease that obnoxious noise.

Wiping away the drool on my chin, I rise up from my pillow.  
My strawberry blond hair is a tangled mess.  
I can feel the matted disaster just by patting my hands against my head.  
In case you ever wanted to know: your hair does indeed suffer when you toss and turn all night.

I need to take a nice, warm shower to tame my wild hair into my signature braids.

In hope that Elsa added anything to her previous message, I take the extra few minutes to check my Facebook before showering.

I have no messages from my sister, but I find that I'm just as happy with the message that I do get... from Hans!

_Hey Anna,  
I'm really excited about the dance on Saturday.  
I was thinking maybe it would be cool to get together before then to get to know each other a little better.  
How is today after school?  
I can meet you outside the main entrance.  
Hans_

It's early, but my teenage girl tendencies are kicking in already.

I squeal, rather loudly, to display my excitement over the situation.  
Hans wants to hang out with me after school today!

I type out two letters and an exclamation point before logging off to take my shower.

_Ok!_

It ends up being a long shower. I want to be extra clean for my after school activities.  
I take even more care on applying my makeup and on twisting my hair into two perfect braids.  
Choosing what outfit I'm going to wear is a huge dilemma.  
I mean, should I wear jeans, a skirt, or a cute sundress?  
It's almost summer, therefore I could get away with wearing a sundress.  
But would that come off too strong? Maybe I should play it safe by wearing a pair of jeans with rhinestones on the back pockets.  
The decision is made by settling in the middle. I go with a skirt.

I've taken so long getting ready that I can hear Mr. Oaken calling to me from here in the bathroom. "Yoo hoo! Anna, you're going to miss the bus!"

Missing the bus would totally ruin a perfectly good start to my day.

I run out of the house just as the bus is pulling up to the Oaken's driveway.

**Elsa**

Everything within me was screaming to stay home from school today.  
I should have listened to my instincts, but I forced myself out of the Weseltons' house and onto the sidewalk I've walked upon so many times before.

I'm just now walking up to the main entrance of Arendelle High.

As soon as the school came into view, my stomach began flipping over to make it's dissatisfaction of my decisions known.

It flips over now as I take the final steps before facing my doom.

I reach out and grasp the cool metal of the door handle.  
It takes all the strength that is within me to open the door; not because the door itself is heavy, but because of the heaviness of the things that are beyond it.

I take the first step into the building. The door swooshes shut behind me as it's declaration that there is no turning back. The only way to go is forward.  
Instantly, I wish I had listened to my instincts and stayed home.

Blue and white posters displaying my face have been hung up along all the walls and lockers.  
_Vote for Elsa the Snow Queen!  
Snow Queen for Prom Queen!  
Vote Elsa Snowe as Queen!_  
It gets better.  
Someone, and I'll give you one guess as to who this someone is, took the liberty upon themselves to designate Rachel Corona as Rapunzel. Of course, if I'm the Snow Queen then who else could Rachel with that long, blonde hair of hers be?

In between the 'Elsa the Snow Queen' posters are even more posters, but these ones have both Rachel and my own face printed on them.  
_Rapunzel vs. The Snow Queen. Who will come out on top?_

Someone hits me with the door from behind. I realize I've been standing here, blocking the entrance, with my mouth gaping wide open at the horror of what Rachel Corona is doing to me.

"Hey, Snow Queen, why don't you unfreeze yourself and get away from the door?" Some kid glares at me as he shoves past.

I scurry along down the hall, trying to keep my head low so as to avoid drawing attention to myself.  
I hear a girl to the right of me snort, "Wow, she really does look like the Snow Queen." I know my attempt at not drawing attention isn't working.

More posters can be seen, these ones with both Jack and I: _Vote for Jack Frost and the Snow Queen!_

My stomach can't be any more unhappy.  
I feel like vomiting but I know I can't. It wouldn't do me any good to puke my breakfast in front of the entire student body.  
Rumors that Elsa pukes snowballs would probably make their way around the school.

I feel sick and dizzy.  
Maybe I could turn back around and go home now; I wouldn't even be lying about not feeling well.  
My feet continue forward, disobeying my inner thoughts willing my body to go back.  
The last thing I need is to fall behind in my schoolwork. I can't fail now when I'm so close to graduating.

I suck it up just as I've been taught to do for years.

_Conceal. Don't feel._


	17. Chapter 17

**Anna**

I skip along beside the row of lockers.  
School has let out for the day and I am on my way to meet up with Hans.

I'm humming to myself like a ridiculous lovesick girl. I'm too exhilarated to feel any shame.

I hum as I study the many Prom posters decorating pretty much anything and everything in sight.  
I feel satisfied because many of these posters have my sister's face on them.  
I feel closer to her than I have in the longest time.

I want my sister to win.  
She's the only one in this school suitable to wear the crown, at least in my eyes.

I'm surprised when Kristoff materializes at my side. He matches my pace, walking alongside me.

"Are you doing anything today?" He asks, very straightforward.

I'm almost disappointed because I'm assuming he's going to invite me to go riding with him. I'd love to see Sven again, but I already have plans with Hans.  
This leads to a whole new cloud of confusion because why am I disappointed about already having plans with Hans? Nothing could be better than having plans with  
Hans.  
Not wishing to analyze this confusion, I push it away to think about some other time.

"Actually, I am."

"Oh." His shoulders slump ever so slightly. For whatever reason, something inside of me enjoys his disappointment. If he's disappointed, that means he likes spending time with me.  
I decide to test him to see how he reacts to me spending time with Hans.

"I have a date." I say nonchalantly.

"A date...?" I glance at his face to get a glimpse of his expression. I trip a little over my feet. I never was good at multitasking. Perhaps I should focus more on my feet as I walk down the hall than on Kristoff's face. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend..."

"Well, we're going to Prom together." Hans and I aren't exactly an official item, but I decide to skip over the details. "He might be wanting to go over some of our Prom plans tonight."

"He's a Senior?" He can't hide the edge creeping into his voice.

"Yup. He's new to our school. His name is Hans. Hans Westergaard." I'm gushing. It isn't hard to see that I'm proud of my Prom date.

I sense Kristoff stiffening as he hears this. "_That jerk?_"

I stop in my tracks, completely stunned by Kristoff's outburst. Is he really so jealous that he's going to badmouth Hans?

"Excuse me?" My voice is accusatory.

"That guy is a complete jerk." Kristoff crosses his arms and stares at me evenly.  
We engage in our second staring contest.  
"And how would you know?" I challenge, keeping my big blue eyes on his.  
"Trust me." He breaks away like the weakling I know he is.

He sighs, then pivots around to walk in the opposite direction away from me.

I should feel like gloating over my victory, but somehow I don't feel like I won.

The cloud of confusion is drifting toward me again, but I swat it away.

Hans is waiting for me outside the school. I don't intend to make him wait any longer.  
I go to meet him.  
As promised, he's standing right outside the doors of the main entrance of the school.  
He smiles that gorgeous smile when he sees me. I smile back.

"I was getting worried that you weren't coming." He teases.  
"I wouldn't let you get stood up." I assure him.  
"I wouldn't let you get stood up, either." He gazes at me with those genuine, green eyes of his.

He intertwines his fingers with mine as he leads me away from the school entrance and out onto the pavement of the parking lot.

"Where are we going?" I inquire.

"To my car."

I snort, "I know, but I mean, where are we going in your car?"

"The driver and passenger seats, respectively."

I nudge him playfully. "You're impossible."

I'm content walking here with Hans, hand in hand, down an aisle of parked vehicles.  
The lot is mostly empty now that school has let out, but there are still many students still around for after school activities.  
Rachel Corona happens to be a cheerleader and her boyfriend Flynn Rider is the quarterback for Arendelle High's football team. Aren't they the ever so stereotypical perfect couple?

As far as I know, Elsa isn't involved in any extra curriculars.

Hans pulls his car keys out from his jeans pocket with his free hand. He clicks the 'unlock' button, causing a black jeep in front of us to flash it's lights as the signal that it's doors may be opened.

"Nice ride." I complement as I release my hold on Hans' hand to go around to the passenger's side of the vehicle.  
I'm just about to pull on the door handle when Hans reaches out from behind me, opening the door for me like the perfect gentleman.  
After I have slid into the jeep, Hans pushes the door closed.  
As I buckle myself in (safety first), Hans strolls around to the driver's side of the jeep.  
He gets in, buckles up, and turns the engine on.

Before backing out of the parking space, he asks, "If you could go anywhere right this very moment, where would you go?"

My response isn't what he is expecting.

**Elsa**

I don't know how, but I managed to make it through the entire day without spewing snowballs everywhere.

I breeze through the hallways to go out one of the school's secondary exits.  
I figure this would be a better way to avoid the staring eyes and pointing fingers that would undoubtedly still be lurking around the main entrance.

I yank a couple of the blue and white posters off the wall.  
I crumple my face and shred the Snow Queen into a million pieces.  
I sprinkle the scraps onto the tile floor below. It's ironic because they look just like snowflakes falling down, down, down.

"You don't like your posters?" Jack catches up to me. Once again, I wasn't aware that he was anywhere near until he was ready to make his presence known. "I thought you looked pretty."

I don't say anything. I want him to go away.

He sighs deeply. "Elsa, you've been avoiding me ever since I drove you home last week." He's accusing me. "Just when I thought I was actually making some headway."

I turn the corner. My desired destination is in view, marked with a glowing red "Exit" sign.

"I have to go." I mutter.

"No, you don't." He leaps ahead of me and blocks my path, causing me to halt abruptly.

"Jack..."

"Come with me." It isn't a question, nor is it a suggestion. It's an order.  
For some reason, I find myself obeying.


	18. Chapter 18

**Anna**

Hans maneuvers his black Jeep effortlessly into the parking space.  
He glances at me, uncertain, before turning the key and pulling it back out. The engine shuts off.

"Are you sure about this?" He kind of laughs as he speaks.

"Yup."

"Ok..."

A few moments of awkward silence falls upon us as we sit, unmoving, in the stationary vehicle. Neither one of us makes any motion to withdraw ourselves from the jeep.  
Suddenly, the silence erupts into wild fits of laughter.

Hans and I sound like a group of hyenas.

At last, we are able to regain some control.  
Hans shakes his head as if to clear the cackles away. "All right then... shall we?"

Simultaneously, we each open the door on our side of the Jeep and proceed to climb out like normal human beings.

Like the gentleman I know he is, Hans makes his way around the vehicle to walk alongside me so that we may stroll across the parking lot together.  
Ever so subtly, he brushes his hand against my own. Somehow, this ends up with us holding hands as we cross the lot.

The glowing red letters on the building stare back at us; they aren't as accusatory as the picture of the gray mouse above them. The mouse locks eyes with us as we come closer and closer to it's domain, mocking our life decision to show our faces here.  
Who is this mouse, you might ask?

Chuck E. Cheese.

Yes, I am a Freshman girl dragging a Senior boy to Chuck E. Cheese for our first date.  
I feel no shame. Ok, maybe a little.

Hans doesn't flee from my side as we come forth into the childish place.  
I cast a sideways glance at him. He's smirking at me. Surprisingly, it isn't a 'wow you're so lame' smirk. It's more of a 'I can't believe we're even here right now, but let's enjoy it for all it's worth' smirk. There's a big difference.  
This smirk shows me that Hans can see the humor in the situation, but he doesn't think he's too cool for it. I like this. A lot.

We purchase enough tokens to provide us with an afternoon of fun.

Since neither of us are hungry this early in the evening, we decide to play games before ordering any food. Although, I have my eye on one of those oven-roasted sandwiches.

We run through the arcade like little kids. Hans clings to me as I drag him to whatever game I think we should play next.  
Hans schools me at the basketball hoop games. I can never seem to make more than two hoops in a round, while Hans should apparently be captain of Arendelle High's basketball team.  
I prefer ski ball.  
With my skill and concentration, I can roll the ball up the middle of the lane and make it into the center hole like a boss. In all honesty, I'm just getting lucky and Hans knows it.

It doesn't take us long to burn through our tokens. Actually, it probably takes us several hours. You know what they say: _time flies when you're having fun!_  
Our stash of gold coins have been replaced with many long strips of paper. These are our tickets, which can be used to purchase prizes.

"Are you ready to eat?" Hans inquires as he tries to keep our tickets from dragging on the dirty floor. Even with Hans' tall stature, some of the tickets are just too long.

"Yes!" My stomach is growling now. It's amazing what a few hours at Chuck E. Cheese will do for your appetite.

We find ourselves a clean table; one that hasn't been used by a group of young children and their sticky, cheesy fingers.  
Being that I already know exactly what I want, looking through a menu is preposterous.  
Hans seems to know exactly what he wants, too.

"I think I want a-"

"Over-roasted sandwich." I cut him off before he can finish.

"Yeah!" He grins at me. My heart feels like melted, gooey cheese.

We order two oven-roasted sandwiches. His being the ham and mine the chicken.

While we wait for our food to arrive, we talk. That's a funny concept, isn't it? To actually talk while you're on a date?

"Did you have fun, Anna?" Hans peers at me from across the table. He has his elbows leaning against the top of the table and his chin resting in his hands. He looks adorable like this.

"Yeah, I haven't had this much fun since..." My sentence trails off.

"Since?" He tilts his head at me. Something gentle glows in his eyes as if he has become aware that the conversation has shifted into something more somber.

"Since before my sister stopped talking to me."

"What happened?"

"I don't know." I sigh. "We were really close when we were little. But then she just started shutting me out."

"I would never shut you out." He reaches across the table to take my hand in his. His hands aren't at all like Kristoff's massive ones, but I don't even know why I'm comparing the two.

Our food arrives just then, shattering the moment. I'm not even disappointed because, seriously, these sandwiches look heavenly.

Oven-baked on a ciabatta roll topped with melted mozzarella cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayonnaise, and balsamic vinaigrette. Served with fresh fruit and golden-yellow French fries. Of course, with a dab of ketchup on the side.

Hans expresses that he thinks my sandwich looks almost as good as his and I express that I think his looks almost as good as mine.

We split both the ham and the chicken sandwiches in half.

We finish each other's sandwiches.

**Elsa**

"Jack... no." I protest as soon as I see where we are pulling into.

He lifts his hand away from the steering wheel just long enough to gesture me to wait.  
Five fingers curved ever so slightly in a half-hearted hand signal that has a bigger effect than it should.  
I clam my mouth shut.

"Give it ten minutes." He tells me as he pulls his car carefully into the parking space. He evens the car out until two yellow lines are spread out on both sides of the road-worn tires. "And if you want to leave after that, we will."

I peer down at my shoes, blue ballet flats cramped into the small space of the car.  
If I keep my eyes fixed upon what is below me, I do not have to pay heed to what is right in front of my nose.

"Elsa?" Jack coaxes.

I look up.

_Arendelle Skating Rink._  
The bold, white letters are clinging to the roof of the building.  
The meaning of the words dig into me like claws.

"Why did you bring me here?" The words are as hard as ice, tumbling from my lips. "I don't want to be here."

"I know." He tugs on the door handle, opening it so that he might slip out of the vehicle. "But maybe you need to be here."

He gets out and slams the door shut behind him without another word.

"Jack?" I didn't expect him to leave so suddenly. Dumbfounded, I scramble out after him. I trail behind him through the parking lot, trying desperately to match his confident stride. Due to the fact that my legs are considerably shorter and smaller than his, I have difficulty. It's much easier for Jack to follow after me than it is for me to follow him.

He glances over his shoulder back at me and smirks. "Only ten minutes, Elsa."

The stinker is getting his way.

I finally am able to catch up with him once we have entered the building.  
I suspect he has slowed down now that he has gotten me inside.  
Following at his heels, we walk over a thin, gray floor mat to get to the booth where we might rent two pairs of skates.  
I can see the actual ice rink from here through a big, glass window.  
The glass holds the chill of the ice within. The cold can't extend it's icy fingers through the window to grip me in here.

Jack takes care of acquiring the skate rentals. He asks me what size I need; I answer passively. My eyes are fixated upon the ice.

There's at least a dozen other people out there skating. One couple glides around gracefully, holding onto one another's arms.  
But I don't see what is actually physically there. I see what isn't.

_In my mind, I can see two little girls gripping onto the other's hands as if their lives depended upon it. They're whirling around in circles and giggling like the little girls they once were.  
It's me and my sister Anna.  
We used to skate when we were little; ever so long ago._

_The image changes.  
Jack now stands in my place, with the same brown hair from my dream.  
Where Anna was, his sister is now.  
I see him trying ever so desperately to calm her down as the ice was splitting apart around them._

Jack shoves a pair of white ice skates into my hands, whipping my attention back to him.

I stare at the skates, dumbly.

Jack sits down at one of the tables. He proceeds to yank his street shoes off from his feet to exchange them for his own pair of skates. "Come on, Elsa." He waves me over to the seat next to him. My body complies, although my mind is still hesitant.

We switch into the skates together, side by side.

"I haven't been on skates in years, Jack." I blurt out as I tighten the white laces to secure the skates around my ankles.

"Just ten minutes." Jack repeats before adding, "I promise, I won't laugh if you fall."

"No, it's not about-" He doesn't wait to hear the end of that thought. He stands up and walks across the carpet, balancing on nothing but razor-sharp blades.

He heads across the room over to the entrance of the rink without looking back to see if I follow.  
He already knows I will follow.  
I do just this.

Again, my body complies while my mind is screaming to turn and run.

Each step brings me closer and closer to the door which will lead me beyond the glass window.  
Jack's already gone in.

"Just ten minutes." I mutter under my breath. With a burst of resolve, I push the door wide open.  
A blast of cold air hits me in the face.  
The icy cold fingers are reaching out to me, but they aren't coming to claw me to pieces. It feels more like an old friend coming to give a handshake as a welcome back.  
The last time I skated was with Anna, many years ago.

I trudge through the thickness of the cold to where Jack is waiting for me.  
He waits for me where the floor meets the ice.  
He extends his hand out to me, something sweet shining in the blueness of his eyes.

I let my fingers intertwine with his.  
That tingly feeling almost makes me jerk away again, but I force myself to stay.  
It feels like magic.

Together, we take our first step onto the white mass of ice, spreading itself across the entirety of the floor.  
As soon as my blade touches the slickness of the ice, I lose all sense of balance. I can feel my feet sliding out from under me, faster than I can react.  
My body is going to slam down onto the solidity of the floor.  
I cringe; the only preparation my body can think to make.

Instead of being met with an agonizing pain, I am met with two strong arms wrapping themselves around me. Jack transfers his balance to me, preventing me from falling.  
The realization that I am literally encased in Jack's arms hits me.  
This comes as more of a surprise to me than falling on my butt.

"Hey look!" Someone laughs behind us. "Jack Frost and the Snow Queen are here."  
"Aren't they cute?" A girl taunts. "They're so perfect together."

Kids from our school are here.

Mortified, I push Jack away and try desperately to glide back to the safety of real floor. This backfires; I trip and fall back into Jack.  
He holds onto me, securing me on my feet.

"Why do you care so much what they say about you?" He whispers in my ear. The coolness of the rink causes his breath to appear in a puff of fog. "People are going to say stuff regardless of what you do. Why let them win? Why not embrace it?"

The back of my head is reclining against his left shoulder. I've never been quite so close to his cotton sweatshirt as I am now.

"I'm not the Snow Queen."

"And I'm not Jack Frost." His chuckle ruffles my hair. "So what?"

I'm getting flustered.  
He's so close.  
I can feel his breath on my neck. I can feel the tingly sensation of his touch.  
I swore to myself I would keep Jack away from me.

"What are you saying?" I ask.

"Play their game for all it's worth." His cheek rests against my own. The contact emanates a whole new level of tingling. "Because if you play along, they can't win."

"How do I do that?"

"Go with me to Prom."

My mind is screaming at me to run away, but my body just isn't listening. "That's just going to make it worse, Jack."

"Maybe," He pauses before adding. "But you have to believe in me."

I do.


	19. Chapter 19

**Elsa**

I stayed with Jack at the ice rink for more than ten minutes.  
We stayed for hours.

I let him hold me close as we glided across the smooth surface of the ice together.  
We were the perfect image of Jack Frost and the Snow Queen.

The other kids were staring, but for once, I didn't care.

Maybe I should have, but I didn't.

The tingling magic between us was stronger than the fear frozen solid in the depths of my heart.

He whispered ever so quietly in my ear suggestions for what we should do about the Prom. His ideas came out as clouds of fog, brushing against my neck.

He didn't want us to just show up at the dance together; he wanted us to participate in the campaign. He wanted us to win.  
Against my better judgement, which I'm sure was screaming at me in that frozen place I just spoke of, I let Jack have his way.  
If he wanted to do this, I wasn't about to stop him.  
I would go along with it as long as he stood by my side through the storm.

We stayed until closing, at which point we retreated off of the ice and returned our rental skates back to where we got them.  
As much as I didn't want the night to end, it did come as quite a relief to put my ballet flats back on. Balancing on nothing more than a slim blade for hours isn't exactly the most comfortable thing in the world.

Jack drove me home to the Weseltons (if I daresay that the Weseltons could even be considered 'home').

Parking on the edge of the street, he stopped me before I could withdraw from the vehicle.  
"Do they treat you okay, Elsa?" The question fell from his lips.

"Who?"

"The Weseltons."

"Why wouldn't they?"

"You're dodging the question." If there's one thing you can say about Jack, it's that he isn't afraid to call you out.

Flustered, I responded, "I don't know. I just get a weird feeling whenever I'm around them. Like something isn't quite what it seems." I paused before adding in a more light-hearted tone. "But Mr. Weselton is a lawyer so maybe that's all it is."

"Watch out for yourself." He expressed his concern. "And you can always come to me if you ever need anything."

I nodded solemnly before leaving him there.

Nothing strange happened when I entered the house. Nothing strange happened during the night. Nothing strange happened before going to school this morning.  
Nothing strange happened at all. Not yet.  
Mr. Weselton kept to himself and did not push the adoption thing any further, for which I am grateful.

Today is Wednesday, three days until the Prom.  
Today is the day Jack and I actively participate in the campaign to get ourselves elected Prom King and Queen.

Jack came up with a bunch of great ideas.  
Since most people use cupcakes as a way to lure in potential voters, Jack reasoned that we should use our own tool to reach students through their stomach.  
Rachel Corona's cupcakes are frosted violet with fancy yellow icing swirled around on top.  
Instead of cupcakes, we decided that we should give away snow cones of all flavours ranging from cherry to bubblegum.  
Rachel probably isn't going to appreciate us up-staging her.

Jack also suggested that we could make hundreds of paper snowflakes to slip inside the vents in the lockers of everyone in the entire student body.  
That way, when someone would open their locker, the snowflakes would flutter out like real snow.  
The paper would be left blank, without a single word written upon the white surface. This would leave a hint of mystique, yet everyone would be all too aware that this was indeed the doing of the Snow Queen.  
Jack officially labeled this project as the Arendelle High Blizzard.

Once again, I am ever aware that Rachel Corona is going to throw a hissy fit.

I don't actually expect to win the crown. I don't want to win the crown. However, I will admit that it does feel good to fight back for once.

For the first time in my life, today I actually almost feel like a princess.

But I know better.  
The truth still lingers below the surface and I can't fully shake it away.

**Anna**

After eating, Hans and I were just about ready to leave Chuck E. Cheese for the night.  
But, before we could do that, we had some unfinished business to attend to.  
Our tickets needed to be exchanged for prizes.  
I dragged Hans along as I skipped to the prize room like an exhilarated child.

There were so many choices!  
Shelf after shelf was filled to capacity with all sorts of wonders to choose from.  
We could've gotten anything from Tootsie Rolls to vampire teeth. The vampire teeth were tempting.  
I spaced out a little as I imagined myself going to school as a vampire and scaring the life out of Kristoff. I decided against it.

I wandered up by the register to look inside the glass case.

My eye caught on a tiny plastic snowman.

_It was snowing the first snow that winter day four years ago._

_I was watching the flakes fall from the sky onto the grass, my face shining in awe through the window. The white was overcoming the green of the lawn.  
"Come on, Elsa!" I called. "It's snowing outside! Let's go play!" I left my spot to run down the hall to Elsa's room. My pigtails bounced up and down with each step.  
The bedroom door was closed. It was always closed._

_"No, Anna." My mother stopped me before my knuckles could pound against the wood of the door. "Leave Elsa to herself; she isn't feeling well."_

_I felt dejected as I trudged back down the hall, away from Elsa's room, and back to my spot at the window. Here, I continued to watch the snow, but I wanted to do more than just watch it.  
I wanted to touch it, to feel it, to play in it.  
Elsa and I always played in the snow together._

_After a while, my mother disappeared into her own room to attend to some boring adult task.  
The wheels were turning in my head._

_"Leave Elsa to herself." She had told me.  
But I didn't listen.  
I wanted to build a snowman and I wanted to build it with Elsa._

"I want this." I spoke with certainty. Hans came up from behind me to peer into the glass case at whatever it was I wanted so much.

When his eyes met the object I gestured to, I could visibly see the doubt enter into the depths of his pupils. "A plastic snowman?"

"Yes." I nodded with enthusiasm.

"All right." He shrugged. "If you're sure."

We exchanged our tickets for the snowman (we also had enough left over to buy two Blow Pops and a pack of purple Nerds).

With our business being taken care of, we left Chuck E. Cheese to resume our roles in life as mature, young adults.

Hans drove me home in his black jeep. As he pulled into the Oaken's drive, he looked over to me and grinned with an intensity I wasn't expecting. "Can I just say something crazy?"

I grinned back. "I love crazy."

"I really like you, Anna." His words were genuine. "And I feel like you get me more than anyone else."

"I feel the same way!"

Totally catching me off guard, Hans leaned over to the passenger side right toward me and planted a kiss on my lips.  
It was perfect, just like him.

As I left him in the jeep to walk up the drive of the Oaken's house, excitement bubbled within me. I was excited about all this new territory I was exploring with Hans.  
I was excited about going to the Prom with Hans!

Swinging open the Oaken's front door, I realized that was exactly how I felt right at that very moment: love was an open door, swinging itself wide open.  
And I was ready to waltz right on in.

As Tuesday faded away to Wednesday, the feeling remained the same.  
It remains the same even now as I ride the bus on the way to school.  
I feel like I'm caught in a beautiful haze and I never want it to end.  
All I can see is Hans' perfect face.

I touch my lips, remembering what it felt like when he kissed me, and I giggle inside.

_Love is an open door._

**Elsa**

Jack and I go over more Prom plans during Lunch period.  
He wants to stay after school to snip away paper snowflakes with me.  
I can't help but notice Rachel Corona lurking nearby with a look of suspicion painted onto her pretty face.  
She isn't going to appreciate Jack's blizzard.  
I can't help but feel smug.

As lunch break comes to an end, Jack and I officially have it in our schedules to work on the project when school lets out.  
If we work hard enough, we should be able to create enough snowflakes and still have enough time leftover to stuff them into everyone's lockers before after-school activities finish up for the afternoon.  
If everything goes according to plan, Arendelle High may very well have a blizzard in the near future. I predict tomorrow could be rather icy, folks.

Before going to my next class, I stop at the girl's room to use the restroom.  
After I am finished, I unlatch the stall door and wash my hands.  
My footsteps echo off the walls of the empty bathroom as I cross over to the sinks.  
Turning the knob for hot water, a steady stream falls from the faucet onto my hands.  
I squirt just enough soap into my palm to cleanse myself.  
When I feel that I have been adequately sanitized, I dry my hands with a sheet of rough paper towel.

I offhandedly wonder why they feel the need to make paper towel in such an ugly brown color. In all honesty, it really isn't appealing to the eye. I don't look at it and think 'wow, I should really rub this nasty paper all over myself'. I do so anyway.

I wad the soggy paper into a ball before tossing it into the trash bin.

I stride out of the bathroom, jerking to a stop when I see Rachel Corona leaning against a locker right outside.  
She has her arms crossed and an unimpressed expression stuck to her face.

"Elsie, we need to talk." Pushing away from the wall of lockers, she slowly closes in on me.  
"Is there something I can help you with?" I can't keep the hesitation from soaking into my words.  
"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." I don't have to encourage her to go on; she does this without any help from me. "You see, Elsie, I have a dream."  
Is she role-playing Martin Luther King or what?  
"I want to see the spotlights shining down upon me as I am crowned Arendelle High's Prom Queen." Something darkens on her face. "That stunt I pulled to get you in the running was a joke, Elsie. You aren't a queen and you need to stop acting like you are."  
She gets closer still, poking her nose in my space. "If you make it snow tomorrow, there will be trouble." It's a threat.

Rachel Corona raises her perfectly shaped eyebrow and scoffs in my face.  
She turns on her heel and leaves me alone in the hall.

Rachel doesn't want the blizzard to come to Arendelle.  
In her mind, Arendelle is her domain. She is the ruler of the school.

But Rachel Corona underestimates me.

After all, I am the Snow Queen.


	20. Chapter 20

**Anna**

Kristoff keeps his distance from me.  
That's perfectly fine because I keep my distance from him.  
We have an unspoken agreement to ignore each other today.

I don't get why he doesn't appreciate Hans.  
Hans is perfect.  
Kristoff is probably just jealous.

After school, Mr. Oaken generously takes time away from his store again to drop Olivia and I off at the mall.  
She agreed to come help me find a dress for Prom.

Mr. Oaken maneuvers the car to the curb of Macy's to let us out.

"Thanks Mr. Oaken!" I call to him before closing the car door shut.

Mr. Oaken drives away as Olivia and I proceed to the entrance of Macy's.

"It's getting miserable out here." Olivia groans, commenting about the intense heat emanating from the sun.  
The closer summer gets, the less time it takes outside to feel disgusting.  
We've hardly walked more than a few steps and our clothes are already sticking to our bodies.

"You didn't have to come." I say this as dramatically as I can. "I wouldn't want you to melt."

"Some people are worth melting for." Olivia nudges me playfully.

We make it the last few feet to the entrance. Olivia opens the door. We get blasted by wondrous air conditioning.  
The cold air immediately dries up any sweat that had been glistening on our faces.

We enter Macy's together, heading directly to the dress department.

"Do you have anything particular in mind?" Olivia asks me. "Do you know what colors Hans is going to be wearing so you can match him?"

"Uh... no." That would have been far too smart. Why didn't I ask him? What if I show up wearing purple only to find that he's wearing orange? Orange and purple look heinous together!

We're going through the cosmetics department now. Of course, some sales lady wants us to try this awesome foundation and, of course, we don't want to.  
I try to tactfully remove ourselves from any obligations. This ends up with me stuttering like an idiot.  
I have no idea what I'm even talking about anymore so I just walk away. Olivia follows at my heels.

"Don't worry about the colors." Olivia resumes our conversation as if that awkward interaction with the cosmetics employee hadn't happened. "When you see 'the one', you'll know it. The color won't matter because fate will take care of it for you. Fate wouldn't let you clash with your Prom date."

"If you say so."

At last, we've made it to the section with the formal dresses.  
Racks and racks of both short and long special occasion dresses are before us.  
They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.  
In truth, I feel a little overwhelmed just looking at it all.  
How am I supposed to pick out 'the one' when I have so many to choose from?

Luckily, I have Olivia to assist me.

We begin our search.

It doesn't take long for me to realize that Olivia is attracted to basically anything with sequins on it. She shows me dress after dress that's completely covered in iridescent sequins.  
It's not a style that appeals to me.

"Well, if I were going to the Prom, this is the one I would wear." She says in a matter-of-fact manner after I turn down one particular white sequin dress.  
She hangs it back on the rack where she got it from before skipping around to the next cluster of dresses.  
Ever so clumsily, she trips over her feet and knocks into the rack. The metal rod jabs her body.

"I've been impaled!" She cries out dramatically.  
Fortunately for her, no actual injuries occur from the incident.  
Olivia is just being Olivia. I swear she has a witty response for every life situation.  
Some people might say I have a witty response for every situation as well, but that's mostly just me being Anna and making a fool out of myself.  
Olivia does what she does on purpose; my stupidity is entirely accidental.

"Don't hurt yourself." Who could possibly get hurt at a department store anyway? Actually, I probably could.

"I won't." Olivia assures me, reverting back to analyzing dresses. "I've never seriously hurt myself before. I always thought it would be cool to get a broken arm or something. Then all the kids at school could sign it."

I snort. "You're weird."

"Right back at you." Olivia teases.

"I've never seriously hurt myself before, either..." I trail off for a moment. "Well, I got a concussion once."

"What happened?" Olivia glances up from the rack. Her eyes are big and round.

"I don't know." I shrug. "I probably tripped and hit my head on the wall like the ever so graceful person everyone knows I am."

Olivia agrees, "Your signature move is failing."

I don't argue.

Over the course of one hour, Olivia and I collect a few dresses for me to try on.  
I don't feel overly excited about any of them.  
It's not that they aren't pretty. They just don't have any wow factor.

I haul the bulky dresses in my arms as I enter the fitting room. Olivia waits outside for me.  
I try my best to keep the fabric of the dresses from trailing on the dingy carpet.  
Being that the first two stalls are locked, I take the open stall on the end.

I nearly drop the dresses in my arms.

Hanging there in the fitting room stall is the most beautiful dress I have ever laid eyes on.

The fabric of the full skirts are alternating shades of green. Intricate designs are woven into the olive green, vertical stripes flowing down to the floor.  
The top of the dress is black, with floral embroidery playing at the neckline.  
Gold ribbon accents the edges.

I've got to try it on.  
Hanging my other dresses on one of the hooks on the wall, I wander over to examine this dress more closely.  
I run my fingers over the silky fabric. My fingers trace the elaborate embroidery.

I can't take it anymore.

I check the tag to see what size it is.  
I nearly fall over when I see that it's my size.  
Fate is a marvelous thing.

I yank my t-shirt off faster than lightning, but not quite as fast as I accepted  
Hans' friend request on Facebook.  
Handling the breath-taking gown with care, I slowly pull the zipper down so as not to snag the fabric.  
With this being done, I proceed to cautiously slip the dress on over my head, mussing my strawberry blonde hair.

I zip the gown back up and smooth out the voluminous skirts.  
The sleeves rest just off my shoulders. I think this gives me a very sophisticated look, drawing emphasis on my slim shoulders.  
The bodice hugs my figure snugly, but not too snugly so as to cause any discomfort.

The gown fits like a glove.  
And you know what they say: if the gown fits, wear it!

I unlatch the stall door, and sweep out of the fitting room to show Olivia.  
The silky fabric swishes around me as I walk.  
I feel like a princess right now!

When I emerge from the fitting room, Olivia's jaw drops. She's awe-struck.

"Anna!" She gasps. "This is perfect!"

At this point, we both start jumping up and down, clapping excitedly like little girls.  
Hey, I may be going to the Prom with a Senior boy, but I'm still a teenaged girl.  
Don't judge.

**Elsa**

Jack works industriously in the seat next to me.  
I can feel the soft cotton of his sweatshirt sleeve brushing against my arm.

We're working in the school's art room, making a mass of snowflakes.  
Taking advantage of the available resources, a stack of white paper and an abundance of glitter lies on the table in front of us.

The room has an artistic atmosphere to it, which shouldn't be all that surprising considering that it is, in fact, the art room.  
Various student's sketches are tacked all along the walls of the classroom.  
I'd always secretly wanted to have my own sketches showcased, but I never had the confidence to show my art teacher any of my original work.  
She's only ever seen the work I am obligated to do for the class. It's never anything outstanding. I always find myself holding back.  
Art is something very personal to me and I haven't found it within myself to share it with anyone.

Jack maneuvers the scissors expertly through a folded sheet of paper, knowing exactly where notches need to be cut out.  
His icy blue eyes are squinting to focus on his work. He has a talent at being able to point out precisely where each geometrical shape needs to be and what it will look like when it is finished.  
If I didn't know any better, I would think this is one of Jack's secret hobbies.

My job is to sprinkle silver glitter onto Jack's completed products.  
The glitter glints like actual snow as it slips from my fingers and down onto the waiting paper below. It's like a flurry of glitter.

"I wouldn't mind throwing some of this at Rachel's face." I didn't intend on speaking this thought out loud.

Jack snorts, not shifting his eyes away from the work at hand. "I wish you would."

I remain silent for a moment. At last, I say, "You always did think I let her walk all over me."

"You did." He glances up briefly. "But I'm really proud that you're standing up to her now."

This takes a few seconds to sink in.  
I'm standing up to Rachel Corona.  
This life changing reality is enough to shift my entire world.  
I'm not supposed to stand up to Rachel.  
I'm supposed to be a good, little girl and blend into the walls, unnoticed.  
I'm supposed to be the good girl I always have to be.  
Because if you're good, you can't be bad.  
If you aren't bad, then no one can get hurt.

_If you make it snow tomorrow, there will be trouble. _Rachel had threatened.

Going through with this blizzard is a blatant act of defiance.

"You're second guessing yourself." Jack has his scissors down as he looks upon me. I realize that my hand is frozen, mid-air, with glitter still clenched in my fist.  
He is peering though me with his all-seeing blue eyes.

I don't say anything.

"You can't just believe in me, Elsa." He whispers softly. "You have to believe in yourself, too."

Still, I remain silent. It's okay, because Jack speaks again. The words that escape his lips move me more than anyone can possibly know. "I believe in you."

I still don't have anything to say, but for different reasons now. What can anyone possibly say to that?  
No one has ever believed in me before.  
A new strength surges through my body; it's a strength strong enough to release the glitter from my hand.  
A cloud of silver wafts down to decorate another one of Jack's remarkable paper snowflakes.

For the next hour, we labor in tranquility.  
Jack's pile of beautifully shaped snowflakes grows, then gradually decreases in size as I add more to my own pile of silver, sparkled ones.  
When the last snowflake is officially cut and glittered, we lean back to admire our hard work.

The paper snowflakes look better than I originally anticipated.  
They appear as if they could have actually come from Jack Frost and the Snow Queen themselves.

A mischievous glint materializes in Jack's eye. "You ready to start a blizzard, Elsa?"


	21. Chapter 21

**_A/N: Hey y'all, I apologize for not updating every day like I usually do. I've been extremely busy and I've fallen behind a bit on my chapters. Next week I hopefully will be able to get back to updating every day. Shame on real life and it's evil plan to take my attention away from my fanfics! :)_**

**_Happy reading!_**

**Elsa**

The look on Jack's face was priceless as he shoved our snowflakes into the slits of the locker vents.  
His eyes glimmered with that humorous glint we all love so much.  
There wasn't any question at all that Jack was in his element.  
Once a trickster, always a trickster.

This might very well be the largest trick Jack has ever played. This trick will be played on every single member of the student body.  
In a way, I suppose this could be considered his grand finale for his Senior year of high school.  
One last trick before graduation comes and declares him a man.

I wonder how Jack feels about entering into adulthood.  
Is he ready to put his trickery away on a shelf?  
Is he ready to grow up? Am I ready to grow up?

We've all been so focused on prom these last few days that I've hardly had any time to think about graduation and all that comes with it.  
My life will change drastically as I shift into being a fully independent and capable adult.  
I won't have to live with Mr. Weselton and the suspicious aura about him anymore.  
I won't have to constantly worry about bumping into Anna at school.  
I won't have to be around Jack.  
There will be no more risk of hurting anyone.  
Because you can't hurt anyone if you're alone.  
Alone is exactly what I plan on being after graduation sweeps me away.

I don't want to think about the future now.

The Prom is this Saturday. This is all I am going to worry about for now.  
I'm going to take my life one step at a time.  
I'll cross the bridge of adulthood and all the new challenges that comes with it when I get there.

My focus is frozen on the Prom and on fighting Rachel Corona.  
If I keep my focus here, the hobgoblins can't drag me under.  
I know the hobgoblins are still lurking below the surface, but I can't let myself pay any heed to them.  
They are stronger than I am.

I focused on Jack as he slipped a silvery paper snowflake through the vents.  
_One last trick._  
That is, unless he has some other devious plan he's hiding from me.  
You just never know with Jack.

After stuffing the lockers of Arendelle High with our special snowflakes for the blizzard, I turned down Jack's offer to drive me home.  
No, I am not trying to shut him out. I just simply have other business I need to attend to before retiring for the night.

I stroll along down the sidewalk in a brisk manner.  
The warm summer wind is my only companion. It tangles at my smooth, colorless hair, which is twisted up into my usual perfect updo.  
With a blast of intensity, the air grasps at a few of the tendrils of my hair, causing them to slip down onto my face.  
It feels like the wind is scolding me, "Elsa, you mustn't wear your hair so prim and proper as you do every single day of your life."  
Of course, I know the wind isn't actually saying anything at all to me, but I'm allowed to have an imagination, am I not?

I swat the strands of hair out of my eyes. I don't like how they tickle as they brush against my skin.

"I have to wear my hair like this. I have to be a good girl." I mutter under my breath. Maybe the wind will hear me and calm itself.

I turn the corner, entering into the vicinity of Arendelle's shopping mall.  
I need to buy my prom dress.  
I've procrastinated long enough. It's time to suck it up and pick one out.

The sidewalk ends here, thus I have to cautiously walk out into the vast expanse of parking lot. I'm on high alert for any cars that might be speeding through the lot.  
Getting struck by a car wouldn't be a very good ending to my day... or my life.  
The coast appears to be clear, but I still keep my watch out.

Unfortunately, the hardest part of my journey isn't out here in the parking lot, but within the doors of the shopping mall.  
I'm not sure where at all I should start my treacherous quest.  
I'm hopeless when it comes to shopping.  
My mind always gravitates toward buying clothes that are practical.  
Prom dresses aren't practical in any way, shape, or form.  
I'm trying to visualize what it is that I'm looking for, but my mind is a blank fog of nothingness.

Macy's is the store that is standing in the direction I'm already heading. Because of this, I decide that it is as good a place to start as any.

I cover the remaining distance until I reach the door.  
A man with a plastic shopping bag exits the building as I approach, he holds the door open for me to enter.

This is when a feeling of overwhelming anxiety overtakes me.  
Macy's is a very, very large store.  
The floor is full of racks upon racks of all kinds of clothes and for all kinds of people; old and young, girl and boy, blue and pink. It's all here.

I wander mindlessly through the store, having no idea where I'm going.  
Even if I did know where I was going, I'd still have no idea how to get there.  
I assume now that I've come upon the cosmetics section of the store.  
Fancy perfumes and over-priced lip sticks are displayed in a classy manner I'm sure is supposed to be appealing to women.  
I must look terribly clueless because one of employees asks me, "Can I help you with anything?"

"I'm just trying to find the Prom dresses..."

"Right that way." The woman points in the direction I'm already facing. At least I was going the right way. "Are you one of the Seniors?"

I nod.

"For a special occasion like this, you're going to want to be looking you're absolute best." The sales lady smiles. "Perhaps I could assist you with finding the perfect makeup for Prom?"

"Oh... no..." I back away slowly. "I couldn't. I really just need to buy a dress and head home..."

"It would only take a few moments." The woman smiles even wider. Is there special training salespeople have to take in order to learn that enticing sales smile?

"Well... okay." I give in.  
I don't know why I give in, but I do.

The next thing I know, I'm sitting in a chair with my reflection staring back at me through a mirror set up on the counter.  
I can't help but cringe.  
The woman catches this. "What's that look for? You are gorgeous." She busies herself with collecting various makeup products, which I can only assume will be painted onto my pale face. "I would kill to have those eyes, honey."

I can't tell if she means it or if it's another one of those sales tricks, attempting to flatter me into buying something.

"We're just going to play them up a little." Before I realize what she's doing, she takes a small makeup brush and starts applying lavender eye shadow onto my lids.  
This isn't a color I would generally wear. Actually, this is a color I would never wear.  
The brush strokes feel itchy on my eyes. Its a strange sensation I'm not sure anyone could ever get used to.  
I never wear eye shadow and I'm beginning to understand why.  
After the light lavender is packed on and smoothed out, a slightly darker purple is added to the outer and inner corners of the lid to add shadow and dimension. The woman's expert hand blends the two colors for a beautiful gradient between the purples.  
After accomplishing an effect that is to her satisfaction, she brushes black powder ever so gently into the crease. She goes back over it with cranberry shadow.  
My dramatic eye shadow seems be complete because she goes on to line my eyes with an eyeliner marker. She swears that this product is perfect because of its smoothness and precision.  
She keeps the liner thin, winging it out at the edges.  
I would generally frown upon winging my eyeliner.  
Watching her in the mirror with the eye she isn't working on at the moment, I can appreciate how steady she keeps her hand. She truly is an artist, like me, just using a different platform.  
She slathers a coat of mascara onto my lashes, which are already decently thick.

She's nearly done now, just adding a couple of finishing touches such as blush and a cranberry lip gloss.

Resting the makeup products back onto the counter, she steps back to appreciate her hard work.  
I watched her the entire time she had been working, but I allow myself to focus on  
her actual work now. I look upon myself in the mirror; and I mean _really_ look.

A startled whisper escapes my cranberry lips. "I'm..."

"Beautiful." The woman declares. I know that it isn't a sales ploy; she genuinely means it.  
I genuinely believe it.

I've never seen myself look as daring and dramatic as I do now.  
This isn't prim nor is it proper.  
Nevertheless, I like it.

"Thank you so much!" I exclaim, making my gratitude known.  
Before leaving the cosmetics department to find my dress, I buy a few of the products she used so that I might duplicate this look for Prom.

I don't feel as small and feeble in this gigantic store anymore.  
I stride through the main walkway out of the cosmetics, my head held high and my ballet flats clicking on the floor.  
When I arrive at the dress department, I don't feel hopelessly distressed.  
Even though there are racks upon racks of floor length gowns in every color imaginable, I keep calm and start my search in an organized manner.  
I don't know what I'm looking for, but I imagine I will know when I see it.

After fifteen minutes of searching, I have two options.  
Both dresses draping over my arm are exactly the kind of thing I would wear. I would look prim and proper in these dresses.  
I would look like the good girl I always have to be.  
But, for some reason, neither of these dresses feel like _the_ dress.

I catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror standing along the wall of the store.  
I don't look like the good girl I always have to be.  
For once, I look daring and exciting.

I put both gowns back where I got them.

Swiveling around to find another rack to search, I stop dead in my tracks and I'm completely breathless.

Shimmering blue fabric the exact shade of my irises hangs before me, flowing down until the silk nearly brushes against Macy's floor.

I can tell just by looking at it that it's a figure-hugging dress, designed to be slim and slinky.  
There's an intentional slit in the fabric running up to where I'm guessing is right above the knee.

It's crazy because everything about this dress practically screams,_ "I am the Snow Queen."_

It's even crazier because something inside of me is screaming,_ "This is the one."_

So I get it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Anna**

"Open your locker." Olivia demands.

It's far too early on this lovely Thursday morning for me to keep up with Olivia's shenanigans.  
Why is opening my locker such a big deal?  
I'd love to dilly-dally in the hallways, but Olivia is yanking me by the arm to get me to my locker as fast as she possibly can.  
Now I'm wondering if maybe she finally found that buried treasure... in the back of my locker instead of hers.

Have you ever had a friend tug you along faster than you could possibly go, making you lose your footing?  
This happens to me now, causing me to slam into the familiar bulky frame of Kristoff, who didn't realize he was stepping directly into my line of travel.  
I wasn't intending on speaking to him this early in the day... if at all. Considering our last conversation, I don't particularly know how I feel about Kristoff right now.  
I'm still pretty irked that he called Hans a jerk.

"Sorry..." I say, resignedly. He should be the one apologizing.

"You should watch where you're going." He shifts his eyes from me to Olivia. "And you shouldn't be running in the halls."

The nerve of some people.

"Be nice, Kristoff." I can't keep the irritation from biting into him with my words.

"Calm down, feisty pants." He raises his hands in the air as if he is the one who is innocent. I know better. To make matters worse, he adds, "By the way, did your date go well?"  
I strongly dislike the way he accents the word 'date'. It's like he's mocking me.

I narrow my eyes at him. "It did."

Olivia is standing next to me, tapping her foot impatiently. There's buried treasure awaiting me at my locker; I need to hurry up.

"Well, if you'll excuse us." I pivot away from him to resume Olivia's mission. "It was nice bumping into you." Next time, I'll plow you over with a horse.

Olivia grasps my arm again, squeezing just a little too tight, and proceeds on her way through the hallway.  
Against Kristoff's warning, we run.  
It's not particularly any of his business whether I'm running, walking, jogging, or doing the Gangnam Style all the way to my locker.  
He actually had the nerve to say that Hans is a jerk? Well, I think he should look in the mirror.

Olivia skids to a stop at my locker. I stop too late, plunging into her back.

Ignoring the fact that I nearly thrust her to the ground, she claps excitedly and exclaims, "Open it!"

I swear she's going to lose it if I don't get this thing opened.  
For the sake of Olivia's sanity, I dial my combination into the lock and swing the locker door open wide.

Three glittery paper snowflakes waft out of my locker and down to the dirty school floor.  
The sight reminds me exactly of that winter day four years ago, when the snow wafted down from the sky to cover the grass in our yard.  
Regardless of what anyone at her Junior High had said to my sister, that snow wasn't her fault.

I pick up the delicate paper ever so gently.  
I run my fingers over the glitter, detecting the bump of each sparkle.  
For some reason, a wet spot appears at the center of the flake. The realization hits me that it's my own tears.  
A dampness streams from my eyes and down my cheeks.

These snowflakes are from my sister.

**Elsa**

I admit to the elation that soars within me all day long.

Between classes, I can hear the whispers all along the hallways of Arendelle High.  
It's exactly the kind of thing that haunts my nightmares, only these whispers don't haunt me.  
They should bother me, but they don't.

Every locker was opened this morning and every locker each had several snowflakes of various sizes drift out onto their student's shoes.  
_"Why is it snowing when it's nearly summer?" _I imagine the students wondering amongst themselves.  
_"Oh, it's the Snow Queen."_

The Snow Queen sent a blizzard to Arendelle High.

With Jack Frost's help, of course.

Jack also had another surprise up his sleeve.  
He decided it would be brilliant to rig some of the classrooms so that whenever the door was first opened that morning, a mass of snowflakes would rain down in a marvelous display of a paper snowstorm.  
I should have known he had more planned than he had originally told me.

Some of our snowflakes still lie crumpled in the school's hallways, being kicked around by whoever passes.

I can only imagine we'll find a few snowflakes lying around here and there for the next couple of weeks until school lets out for the year.

Paper never really does melt like regular snow.

I'm on my way to my seventh period class, which is my last class of the day.  
My hands are swinging at my side. For once, I'm not walking with my arms holding myself close.  
I turn left at the corner, taking my usual route down a less congested hallway.  
I will always prefer my solitude.

Caught completely off-guard, someone pounces on me from behind and pins me against the row of lockers. My head slams back, hard.  
I can't help but let out a cry of pain.

Flynn Rider has his hands gripped firmly around my shoulders, digging into my skin just a little too hard.

"Let me go!" I spit my words angrily.

"Shut up." He tightens his grip. I want to cry out again, but I force myself to swallow it back down.

His thick brows hover over dark eyes, which are penetrating into me almost as hard as his hands. His strong jaw is covered in a scruffy, brown goatee.  
Behind him, I now notice another boy lurking a few feet away. He is unfamiliar to me, but I know he is in league with Rachel and her dastardly boyfriend. He has auburn hair with thick sideburns crawling well past his ears. He looks on at the spectacle taking place before him, completely amused.  
I don't appreciate my pain being his entertainment.

"Listen now, Elsie." The stench of Flynn's breath lingers in the few inches of space between our faces. "My girlfriend isn't very happy about what you're doing."

"I'm not doing anything-" The pain of his fingernails stops me.

"Yes, you are." His face gets nearer still until his lips are practically brushing against my ear. I want to jerk away from him, but he's too strong. His whisper sends a chill up my spine, "I think you need to stop."

"Stop what?" The fear seeping in has caused my voice to go up in pitch. I just want Flynn to get off of me.

"Don't play dumb." He growls. I'm afraid he's going to hurt me again, but he loosens his grip ever so slightly. "Stop trying to take my girlfriend's crown."

"I wasn't trying to-" He shoves me against the locker again. The pain is throbbing in my back.

"Yes, you were." He digs his fingers in once more before releasing his hold on me altogether. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again."  
It's a threat.

He laughs. It's one of those awful malicious laughs that causes you to shiver by the eeriness of it all. I shiver and I cringe from the pain that shivering causes. I can feel bruises forming in my shoulders.

Flynn backs away until he is even with his buddy. "Be good, Elsie." He says before leading his friend down the empty hallway.  
My knees give out from underneath me, causing me to slide down to the floor.  
The voices get quieter and quieter as they get farther and farther, but still I can heaf Flynn speak, "She's such a loser."

His friend laughs in agreement.

As the two of them turn the corner, the last words I hear are, "Next I'll teach you my smolder. The ladies can't resist my smolder."

It takes me a while before I can gather the strength to stand back up, even then, my legs are shaking out of control.  
Being that I'm already ridiculously late for my last class, I skip it and head home early.

I spend the rest of the afternoon alone in my room. I don't eat, nor do I talk to anyone.  
It's not like I would talk to anyone even if I wasn't having a bad day. Who would I talk to? Mr. Weselton? I don't think so.

Thursday eventually gives way to Friday, the last day before the Prom.

I'm caught in a restless, miserable sleep all night.  
Any dreams I have consist of Flynn smashing me into the lockers until my entire body turns purple.  
When I fully emerge into consciousness, I have to check my body in the mirror to make sure my skin is a normal color.  
I have purple splotches on my shoulders, but the rest is clear.

Terror ends up getting the better of me today.  
I decide to stay home from school.  
Jack can hand out the snow cones without me.

Mr. Weselton questions me when I finally adventure down to the kitchen for breakfast. "Aren't you supposed to be in school?"

Opening the fridge while avoiding eye contact, I say offhandedly, "I'm lot feeling very well."

"Do I have to take you to a doctor?"

"No, I'm fine."

"Very well." He growls. "I don't prefer leaving you alone in the house, but I have to go to work. Stay out of my room."

While he thumps around, aggressively collecting his things for work, he speaks, "I hope you've reconsidered my request?"  
I retrieve a bag of bagels from the bread drawer. "No, I haven't."  
"Well, think about it some more." He pushes. "You have plenty of time to think about it today."  
After he has everything together, he stomps out the door and slams it shut behind him. He doesn't bother saying goodbye.

I slather cream cheese on my bagel.  
I don't particularly feel very hungry anymore.  
Mr. Weselton does a very good job of making someone actually feel sick.

_Stay out of my room._

The butter knife in my hand clatters onto the granite countertop.  
Before I realize what I'm actually doing, my feet lead me through the kitchen to the closed door on the opposite side of the room.  
I wipe my hands on my pajama pants, cleaning off any leftover residue from the cream cheese.  
I grasp the golden knob on the door and twist, as gently as possible. The door creaks open.

A dim light shines through the curtains on the window, falling upon the master bed lying at my right.  
There's a few paintings hanging on the walls, but I don't find the art to be particularly attractive. It doesn't surprise me that Mr. Weselton and I have clashing tastes in art.  
Farther across the room is what I assume to be Mr. Weseltons' work desk. This is what I am seeking.

I stride across the bedroom, determined. My bare feet thud against the wood floors.  
The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up. I'm terrified that Mr. Weselton will return. What if he forgot something? What if he finds me here?  
I calm myself, taking in a few breaths to clear my mind.

I reach the desk.

He has many legal documents sprawled out on top. This is exactly what I would assume a Lawyer's desk would look like.  
I skim a few pages, but none of the information interests me.  
If he were hiding anything from someone, he wouldn't leave it out here for all the world to see. He would keep it hidden.  
I reach out to open one of the smaller drawers on the desk.  
More stacks of legal papers lie within the wood drawer.

My father's name immediately jumps out at me.

It's another one of those legal documents. It really doesn't look any different from the rest, except for the fact that my father's name is upon it.  
I snatch it up.

My eyes eat the words up, hungrily.  
Each word seeps deep into my bones.  
I read every line until there are no more lines to be read.

When I am done, I lay the delicate document as gently as possible back into the drawer.

Doubling checking to make sure all is exactly how Mr. Weselton had left it, I leave the bedroom and shut the door closed behind me as it was before I entered.

I stand there, unable to move.

My parents had set up a trust fund for Anna and I.  
There's a significant amount of money left in my name.  
I never even knew until now.  
I also wasn't aware that Mr. Weselton was my parents lawyer.  
His motives for taking me in are all too clear.  
He wants to adopt me so that he can have that money.

If there isn't an adoption, then there isn't any money. If there isn't any money, then the entire year of letting me live in his house is a total waste.  
Mr. Weselton never wanted me. He wanted the money.

This is what was so _off_ about him.


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Hey y'all! I officially finished writing the remaining chapters of the story and did my last read-through of the whole thing last night. I have five more chapters left to upload, so I will try to update every day this week. Five more chapters! **_

**_Happy Reading! :)_**

**Anna**

I wasn't able to talk to Hans at all on Friday.

This was extremely disappointing because I wanted to make final arrangements for the Prom.  
Is he going to pick me up at the Oaken's house and drive me to the dance in his jeep? I'm assuming that's what his plan is. How else would one arrive at a Prom?  
What time will he pick me up at? What if he arrives early and my makeup is only half completed. What if I have to go to the Prom with only half my makeup done? What if I have to go to Prom with my hair half up and half of it down? What if I only have one shoe? What if-  
Okay, I'll stop the dramatics.  
Saturday morning is spent with me trying desperately to get Hans to answer his cell phone.  
I fail miserably.  
Hans won't pick up.

I've even tried sending him Facebook messages, but I get the same result.

Hans has officially dropped off the face of the earth.

By mid-afternoon, I'm pacing holes through Mr. Oaken's floors (not literally; it's just an expression).  
I pounce at the phone whenever it rings, but it's either one of Mr. Oaken's customers or a telemarketer trying to sell me the next best thing.  
I do believe someone was trying to convince me to buy insurance at some point today.

Hans, why are you doing this to me? I'm under enough stress as it is.  
For the first time in over a year, I get to see my sister.  
That's enough to make one go into cardiac arrest.  
Especially when you put into consideration the fact that the last thing I heard from my sister was an angry Facebook message telling me that I shouldn't go out with Hans... who is the same guy I'm going to be at the Prom with.

I've waited as long as I possibly can.  
I need to start getting ready.

Prom is that one day when you get to pamper yourself beyond all possible belief.

Showering is a good foundation to build upon.  
It doesn't matter how flawless your dress is; if you smell like a stray dog all else is irrelevant.  
That's not to imply that I smell like a stray dog. I assure you, I don't.

I opt to use some of Mr. Oaken's special soap. He invented it himself. This was his project prior to the sun balm.  
I like the exotic smell of this soap. It even has a nice feel to it when slathered on to the skin; smooth and silky in the form of a foamy froth.

The rest of my shower routine stays as usual. My regular shampoo and conditioner each get their turn to soak into my hair. I admit, I might have used a little more conditioner than normal, but I want my hair extra smooth and shiny.

Upon exiting the shower and adorning myself with my cozy bathrobe, I wrap my hair up in my towel to let it dry while I start working on my makeup.  
I prefer to keep my makeup relatively natural. I have nice facial features, thus there really isn't much need to play them up. Wait, do I sound full of myself?

Even after covering the entirety of my face with a layer of foundation, my freckles still manage to peak through as they always seem to.  
I also apply a touch of mascara, a dab of lip color, and a few brushes of blush to add a little life into my cheeks.

I've probably under-achieved in the makeup department.  
Undoubtedly, at least a third of the Senior girls at Arendelle High will arrive at the Prom looking like clowns.  
On second thought, maybe I'm on the right track. I don't particularly want to be remembered as that awkward Freshman who should've joined the circus rather than gone to the Prom.

My hair has dried well enough during the time that it took me to apply my makeup.  
I go over the damp sections, briefly, with my blow dryer. This tool is a gift to humanity.

My strawberry blonde hair flows wild and free over my shoulders, with one bold streak of white as the focal point.

I had been watching many youtube videos, searching desperately among the hair tutorials to find the perfect updo for Prom.  
The one I liked best has an effect that I think would go perfectly with my gown.

My hands start shaking now as I lift them up to begin twisting the strands of my hair to recreate the hairstyle in the youtube video.  
My stomach tightens from the nerves. What if I totally fail? What if my hair ends up looking like a total mess? What do I do then?

I calm myself and steady my hands.

Working expertly, because I'm ever so talented at braiding hair, I am able to achieve a braid which loops over the top of my head as if the hair itself is a headband.  
My bangs stay out, falling over my forehead perfectly.  
I twist my hair into an elaborate bun-type style at the back of my head. I don't know what you would call it, but it looks cool. I clip a green ribbon in. It's the exact shade of my dress and it's the perfect finishing touch.

With a sigh of relief, I admire my success and congratulation myself on a job well done.  
I should really become a hairstylist.

There isn't too much time left before Hans should be picking me up... if he decides to show his face to the world again.

I trade my bathrobe for my Prom dress.

It fits as perfectly as it did when I first tried it on at Macy's.  
I still love how it swishes around my legs as I walk across the floor to the opposite side of my bedroom. I can't wait to dance in it. I can't wait to dance with Hans in it. I can't wait for Hans to see me in it.  
_If he ever shows up..._

The waiting continues as I sit myself by the front window to keep a lookout for Hans' black jeep.

I sit this way until a few minutes after 7:00, which is when the Prom officially starts.

Maybe he's waiting for me at the dance.

I meander into my room to to collect my belongings, which includes my ticket for the Prom.  
I was able to successfully find a clutch complimenting my gown for a bargain price.  
I clutch my clutch just a little too hard. My anxiety over the situation is growing.

This isn't going at all how I imagined it would.

Mr. Oaken drives me to the Prom himself.

**Elsa**

My pencil grazes the surface of my sketch pad, creating subdued gray lines in it's path. Muted blacks and grays mingle together to build up my perfected art of shading.

I'm drawing to get my mind off of the ever growing anxieties clenching my insides tightly.  
The Prom is drawing nearer and nearer with each line that is formed.

Feathery slashes evolve into spiky hair that I would love to run my fingers through.  
Shining eyes with a humorous glint materialize as I carefully shade the pupils and irises, adding precise circles where I imagine the sun is reflecting off of them.  
My steady hand shapes kissable lips turned up into a smirk I know all too well.  
A blue sweatshirt worn on broad shoulders and strong arms that hold me close; this is the conclusion to my work.

It seems ironic that I should draw Jack, the boy I shouldn't be with, on the day of the dance I shouldn't go to.

I set my sketch pad aside.  
My clock displays the time to me, which indicates that I should already be getting myself ready for the Prom.  
I don't budge from my bed.

Flynn Rider's face flashes in my mind, intense and mean.  
_"Just make sure it doesn't happen again." _He said to me as he dug his fingers deep into my skin.  
If I show up to the Prom, will he do more than shove me into a locker? Will he hurt Jack?  
I don't want anyone to get hurt, and I especially don't want anyone to get hurt because of me.

My hands are shaking. I'm glad my drawing is done because Jack's face would've been totally ruined. Jagged lines would have pierced through his skull.  
There's no way I could hold a pencil still when I am trembling like I am now.

_"Be good, Elsie." _Foreboding words had fallen from Flynn's lips as he left me to myself.

Be the good girl you always have to be.

I can't go to the Prom.  
I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to hurt Jack. I don't want to hurt anyone.  
I'll just stay here at Mr. Weseltons' house all night, alone.  
It doesn't matter that Mr. Weselton is a total fraud. It doesn't matter because I am, too.  
When Jack comes to pick me up, I'll just tell him that I'm not feeling well and that he can go on without me.  
It doesn't matter that I'm missing out on my Senior Prom. It doesn't matter that I'll never have another chance to go to the Prom ever again.  
It doesn't matter if Rachel Corona gets crowned Prom Queen, with her evil boyfriend at her side.  
It doesn't matter because I don't want anything to do with any of it.  
I never did.  
I don't know why I got involved in the first place.

_"You have to believe in me." _Jack's words overcome the turmoil. _"You have to believe in yourself, too."_

Hidden away in my closet is a sparkling, blue gown.

I get up from my bed to retrieve it.

It's still as beautiful as I remember it being. It's still as uncharacteristic as I remember it being. It's something that I never imagined I would wear in a million years.

I put it on now.

The blue sequined bodice clings to my frame in a way that I wouldn't usually feel comfortable.  
My white shoulders are exposed, this also would usually make me feel insecure.  
The sleeves are slightly see-through, giving my arms a blue tint. A long piece of this same fabric is sewed on to the back of the dress, flowing down to trail behind me on the floor.  
I was correct on my assumption about the slit in my dress leaving an opening just above my knee.  
Everything about this dress is something that Elsa, the good girl, would never wear.

I sigh.  
I look exactly like the spitting image of the Snow Queen.  
This dress was meant for me. This dress was meant for the Snow Queen.  
Elsa the good girl may not have ever worn something like this, but Elsa the Snow Queen would.

I give my best attempt at copying the Macy's employee and the bold makeup she had painted onto my face.  
Given that it's my first time applying full-face makeup, I'd like to think that I replicate her work significantly well.  
It appears that makeup really isn't all that different from art, after all.  
Maybe I should become a makeup artist.

Staring into the mirror back at a girl I can hardly even recognize anymore, I scrutinize the entirety of myself.  
There's just one thing that seems off.  
Ah. That's what it is.

In one swift motion, I remove the bobby pins holding my neat updo in place.  
My colorless hair comes tumbling down onto my shoulders.  
I gather it all up into my hands, separating it into sloppy sections, before crisscrossing it all up into a single French braid.  
My bangs are sticking out wildly, but somehow the unruliness of it all makes it look even more appealing.

In front of the mirror, I'm standing frozen.

I don't know who that girl is staring back at me.

I don't know who she is, but I know that they always called her the Snow Queen.


	24. Chapter 24

**Anna**

The Decorating Committee outdid themselves on the school's gymnasium. I notice this as I walk through an extravagant balloon arch. Each balloon proudly displays school spirit in distinct shades of green and gold.  
Streamers tied to the ceiling flow downward, shimmering brilliantly in the special stage lighting.  
Colored lights, in all ranges of the spectrum, flicker out over the crowd of high school students already out on the dance floor.  
Of course, there's also a disco ball... because how can anyone have a Prom without a disco ball? I'm scoffing at the absurdity of that thought.

The stage is set up on the far end of the gymnasium.  
The band seems to be pretty chill. They're keeping everyone's attention well enough; most specifically the attractive electric guitarist.  
I can't help but notice a group of girls clustered a few yards away from his side of the stage. I imagine these are the few Senior girls that came without dates. Either that or else they just ditched their dates already, but it's still a little early in the evening for that.

The electric guitarist breaks out into a sick solo that makes the heart of every single girl in the room melt. I predict there will be swooning tonight.

If Hans doesn't show up, I call dibs on electric guitar dude.

My eyes scan the crowd for any signs of my M.I.A. Prom date. I have to squint to get my eyes to focus in the darkness of the room. The main overhead lights are dimmed to set the mood.  
His distinctly ginger hair doesn't stand out amongst the dull brunettes and blondes making up the mob of dancing students. There's red flashing lights shooting out everywhere so who can even tell for sure.

I do see Rachel Corona and her boyfriend, though.

Being that she is most likely to win the title of Prom Queen sometime tonight, she definitely stepped up to the occasion.  
Her gown is gloriously poofy and purple. Her long, blonde hair is braided down her back in a thick braid, embellished with flowers.  
Flynn Rider actually gave enough effort to put on a green suit jacket. It would look ridiculous on anyone else... actually, it even looks ridiculous on him, but his persona is so hardcore that nobody would dare question his choice of attire.  
He still has his signature stubble. If Rachel can't even get the guy to shave, then no one can.

They're dancing together to the upbeat music blaring from the speakers. She has her arms wrapped around his neck, as if she is declaring to everyone in the room that Flynn is hers and hers alone. Not that anyone would dare even attempt to take her man away from her.

I can't find Hans. Likewise, there isn't any sign of my sister, either.  
It figures that the only two people I came to the Prom for in the first place are the ones that are missing.

It's still early. The dance hasn't been going on for all that long yet. There's many people that arrive fashionably late to events on purpose. I'm still hopeful that both Hans and Elsa will make their appearances.  
Until then, I will wait patiently. Preferably, I will wait by the dessert table, which appears to me from this distance to be filled with many lovely delicacies.

_Mhmmm... chocolate._

**Elsa**

Jack's knock draws me out of my room to answer the door of the Weseltons' home.

I hesitate before swinging the door open wide.  
I look so different... what if Jack laughs?

He doesn't laugh.  
His blue eyes widen as he stands on the front porch, completely awe-struck.  
I don't know how I feel about leaving someone awe-struck by my appearance.

"Wow, Elsa." He finally manages to spit out. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you."

"Did your foster family want to take pictures before we go?" He peaks over my shoulder into the house, almost as if he is expecting someone to emerge with a camera.

"No." I shut the door, firmly, behind me. I shut Mr. Weselton as far away from my special night as possible.

"Okay." Jack gives me a sympathetic look. He takes one step down from the front porch before exclaiming, "Oh, this is for you!" He swirls back around toward me, presenting my corsage.  
The roses are white, with baby's breath poking out in every possible space between each rose. He must have specially ordered my corsage because my roses are sprinkled with silver glitter. It's my Snow Queen corsage and it goes brilliantly with my gown.

"I remember when you told me about the kids that mocked you by calling you the Snow Queen." He spoke as I carefully attached the corsage to my wrist. "And all I could think was how glad I was that someone else finally saw you the way I always did; as royalty."

I gaze up at him from my wrist. "Thank you." I say genuinely.

I admire the flowers as we walk down the path to Jack's car.

We drive to the dance.

From the passenger's seat of Jack's car, I watch the dark clouds looming ominously in the sky.  
Looks like Arendelle is going to be getting a storm tonight.

**Anna**

I nearly choke on a piece of chocolate when I see my sister come forth through the balloon arch.

Not only does she arrive, but she arrives looking completely different! A good different.  
Her hair was usually kept so perfectly smooth and tame, but now it's sticking out like she'd gotten caught in a snowstorm. Judging by my description, you probably would assume that she looks like a total train wreck, but it actually looks quite radiant like this. I don't know how she did it, but she takes 'disheveled' to a whole new level.  
I'm going to wear my bed head look at my Senior Prom. Just kidding.

Her gown glistens gloriously whenever the sparkles from the disco ball flash against the blue fabric. Somehow, the effect reminds me of snowflakes.  
There's a slit in her skirt, exposing her left leg up to her knee. Her legs are so slender; I don't know why she doesn't show them off more often. She always would wear long sleeves and jeans, covering the entirety of her body; save for her hands, head, and neck.

Her makeup is done up much bolder than I'd ever seen on Elsa before. She never would've worn purple eye makeup in a million years. Yet, she's wearing it now and she's totally owning it.  
She's definitely living up to her school reputation as the Snow Queen.  
It was a brave move for her to show up looking like this. I'm sure she's just gained the respect of the entire student body.

She has a boy at her side.  
I've never met him, but I know him to be Jack Frost from the Prom campaign posters all over the school.  
He has on a blue vest over a button down black shirt. The vest matches the hue of his dress pants to a tee.  
Ultimately, it doesn't really matter what clothes he has on; his smirk is the pinnacle of what he's wearing.  
He has a sense of humor. I can sense it in his eyes.  
I am one hundred percent in approval of this relationship.  
Elsa needs a man with a sense of humor.

I watch them from my place at the dessert table as they meander out onto the dance floor together.  
Elsa doesn't see me yet.  
I don't want her to see me yet.  
I want her to settle in and get comfortable first. When the time is right, I will make my move.  
I want so much to have a relationship with my sister. The first few steps are going to be the hardest, but I know that once I start talking to her on a regular basis and she starts talking back... I can go live with her just as I've dreamed for the past year of my life.  
She's my family. This is the way it's supposed to be.  
How can my plan not work?

The exact moment they reach a spot on the floor that seems to be to their satisfaction, the music dies down and settles into a slow song. It's so comical that I almost snort-laugh with a piece of chocolate in my mouth.

I can tell that Elsa seems nervous to put her arms around him, but he closes the space between them. Soon they're intertwined and dancing the night away.

It's kinda like a fairy tale.

**Elsa**

An hour passes; it's just me, Jack, and a little bit of music wafting from the gymnasium speakers down upon us.  
Everything else fades far away.  
It doesn't matter that there's a crowd of high school students surrounding us, probably watching with judgmental gazes.  
It doesn't matter that Flynn and Rachel are probably bursting blood veins, due to the fact that I probably wasn't supposed to come here tonight.

I don't need to win a crown when I have all that I need right here in my arms.  
I don't _want_ to win a crown.

Finally, I withdraw from his embrace. Fantasy can't last forever.  
My throat is horribly parched.  
I need to wander off the floor to get something to drink, preferably water.

"I can get it for you." Jack volunteers when I tell him what I need.

"No," I protest. "I'll get it. It'll just take me a minute. I need a break from dancing anyway."

I leave him there, pushing through the crowd to the dessert table in hopes of finding something there to refresh myself.  
I dig my heels into the gymnasium floors when my eyes catch on the last thing I ever expected to see here:  
_My sister._

"Anna?"

"Oh, Elsa... hi." She fiddles with her hands, anxiously.  
I haven't spoken to her face to face in over a year. I didn't particularly want to speak to her face to face... not now, not ever.  
I swat away my surprise, trying to regain my composure.  
"You look beautiful." I mean it. Her dress is lovely. It isn't what the majority of the other girls would opt for, but it's definitely something meant for Anna. The green fabric really brings out the color of her strawberry blonde hair in the best possible way.

"You look beautifuller. I mean, not fuller." She starts babbling. "You don't look fuller, but more beautiful."

I can't help but laugh. She's never been the most eloquent individual.

"What is that amazing smell?" I sniff the air, sensing something gloriously sweet coming from that table of delicacies.

Simultaneously, we both exclaim, "Chocolate!"

I can't resist the temptation. Anna and I pile our paper plates to capacity with delectable chocolatey treats.  
We critique each dessert, trying to decide which one we like best and which one we think is the worst. It's hard to choose.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually having so much fun with Anna.

We're laughing like the little girls we once were, ever so long ago.

After our plates have been scraped of every morsel of food, Anna says longingly, "I wish it could be like this all the time."

I respond, sincerely. "Me too-" I catch myself. "But it can't."

"Well, why not?" Anna's eyebrows are knitted together, confused. "You're turning eighteen; I could live with you. It could be just as it was before-"

"No." I stop her, raising my hand to display that I've heard enough.  
I shouldn't have spoken to her. I definitely shouldn't have sat down and ate desserts with her, sharing chocolate and laughter.  
I've made a stupid mistake.  
I don't want Anna to fantasize a life with me for even one second.  
Apparently, she has been thinking about it for a long time. Why else would she be here tonight?  
How is she even here tonight? This event is for Seniors only, with the exceptions of their dates.

"Why are you here, Anna?" My question is accusatory. "How did you get in here? Did you sneak in here just to talk to me about this?"

"I have a date." She defends herself. "With Hans."

Frustration is welling up within me. "Anna, is this that boy you were telling me about?" I'm losing my temper. "I told you; you can't go around dating guys you don't even know!"

"Why does it even matter to you?" She spits back, tears welling up in her eyes. "You obviously don't want to be a part of my life so why does it even matter? It's not my fault that I actually let people in to my life rather than shut them out like you do!"

"Anna-" She darts away from me, getting swallowed up by the crowd of people.

Of course, this would be the time the head of the Prom committee chooses to climb onto the stage.  
She takes the mic away from the band, who were pausing to transition into the next song.  
Silence overtakes the entirety of the gymnasium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may have your attention." Her voice booms out through the microphone, amplified to reach every single one of our ears. "This is the moment we have all been waiting for." A dramatic pause has us all leaning in eagerly. "It's time for us to crown Arendelle High's Prom King and Queen."  
She holds up an official looking envelope, which we can only assume has the results hidden within. A gold seal is clearly displayed on the front of the envelope, holding the flapped securely closed.  
In one swift motion, the head of the committee yanks the envelope open, severing the gold seal from the paper, and pulls out a white index card.  
The answers we all are longing so desperately to hear are written upon this card.  
"And the winners are..."

I literally feel as if the entirety of the universe stands frozen, waiting for the exasperating girl to get on with her dramatic pause.  
I repeat over and over again in my head, _"Rachel Corona and Flynn Rider. Rachel Corona and Flynn Rider. Rachel Corona and Flynn Rider." _This is undoubtedly what the results will be. How could it not?

"Elsa Snowe and Jack Overland!"

I hardly even hear the thunderous applause that breaks out around me. My ears feel numb with shock.

I beat Rachel Corona?

_I won?_

Someone nudges me from behind, encouraging me to make my way up to the stage to accept my crown.  
Jack's already up there, waiting patiently for me.

Everyone's eyes are on me as I hesitantly make my way through the parted crowd.  
I'm at the edge of the stage now. I take two steps up onto the platform, being careful not to trip and fall.  
Jack meets me, guiding me to the center of the stage.

Two students, who are presumably members of the Prom committee, appear at our sides. One of them is a boy and the other a girl. Each of them proudly bear a golden crown in their hands.  
Jack kneels down so that his crown may be set atop his bleached hair.  
I follow suit, bending my knee ever so slightly to let my own tiara be placed among my messy tresses.

"You can make your speech first." The girl whispers in my ear as she rests the headpiece securely into my colorless hair.

"Speech?" I didn't know I had to make a speech. Even if I had, I wouldn't have prepared one because Rachel Corona should be standing in my place right now. Rachel should've been the one giving the speech.  
I don't have a speech to give.

I feel totally panicked. I stand there, staring out over the crowd of student who all have their eyes piercing through me; every single one of them.  
The spotlight is focused on me. It's a blinding light swinging directly into my eyes.  
Red and blue flashes out onto the dance floor. It's reminds me of an ambulance.

_Anna burst through the door of my bedroom. I wasn't feeling well and she wasn't supposed to come in.  
The kids had been bullying me all day at school. It was supposed to snow that afternoon and they declared it was my doing.  
I felt sick as I reclined in my bed, my stomach turning over at the thought of what the kids were going to say at school the next day. It was snowing. I could see it through the gaps in the blinds shielding my windows. The kids would blame me._

_"Elsa, do you want to build a snowman?" Anna exclaimed. She ran to the side of my bed and jumped on top of me._

_I shoved her off. "Go away, Anna."  
I slipped out of my bed, walking toward the open door to lead her out.  
I wanted to be left to my self._

_"But, I want to build a snowman!" Anna cried, clearly upset._

_"I don't want to play today, Anna." I clenched my right hand over the doorknob, preparing to shove it closed as soon as Anna stepped out. My knuckles turned white from my too-tight grip._

_Anna made no move toward the door. "But, Elsa, it would be so much fun!"_

_"No!"_

_"You always used to play with me!" Tears were starting to pool up in her big, blue eyes. "Before they started calling you the Snow Queen!"_

_Something inside of me snapped then.  
The monsters dwelling within me for so long came out.  
Every pent up emotion from every mean word that was ever said about me was ready to come out from it's hidden place inside of me.  
I couldn't keep it in any longer._

_"I said no!" And then I did something that I will forever regret._

_I struck my sister.  
She fell backwards, hitting her head hard against the wall._

_I still remember the piercing sound of the sirens and the flashing red and blue lights from the ambulance that rushed to take my unconscious sister to the hospital._

_I struck my sister._

They're all staring at me, waiting expectantly for me to say something.  
But, I have no words that could possibly come out of my mouth.

They crowned me their Snow Queen.  
They don't realize that their Snow Queen lashed out and physical harmed her little sister.  
They don't know what kind of monster I actually am.  
They don't know.

There's so much they don't know.

I can't possibly stand here for another moment longer.

For once, I do the intelligent thing and follow my instincts.

I flee.


	25. Chapter 25

**Elsa**

I jump down from the side of the stage.  
The crowd parts for me again, although their faces look stunned by my swift departure. I fly through their makeshift aisle, not daring to meet any of their eyes. Even if I had wanted to, I'm moving far too fast to allow my eyes to focus on anyone's face long enough.  
I don't know if I'm being followed. Jack might be following behind me, or perhaps he's too stunned like the others.

I glide through the balloon arch, my dress flowing behind me like a rough current of water being blown violently by the winds of a snowstorm.  
My hands push hard against the gymnasium door, swinging it open without needing to halt my departure for even a second.

I flee down the hallways of Arendelle High, desperately searching for a way out.  
I wrap my arms tightly around myself, clinging to the see-through fabric of my sleeves.  
I have to hold myself this way to keep myself from falling apart altogether.

I round a corner. The main exit comes into view. The glowing, red 'exit' sign never looked so glorious as it does now. That's saying something because I've had many down-right horrible days at this school, most of which happened within the past week.  
I sweep down the hall toward the exit. My bangs are flying all over the place. My braid is thumping up and down against my back with each step that propels me forward.

Once again, I extend my arms out toward the door and thrust it wide open, freeing myself from the captivity of the school walls.

A gust of wind blasts into me with a shivery chill. The temperature has fallen, leaving the air much cooler than it had been when I first arrived at the dance with Jack.

It doesn't take me long to realize that it's raining. Hard.

That storm I had seen looming in the distance has finally come to thrust it's ruthless power over Arendelle.

I can feel the raindrops splattering against my head and shoulders as my feet pound against the wet parking lot pavement.  
My beautiful gown is going to be completely ruined.

It doesn't matter now.  
What matters most to me right now is getting away from here.  
I have no predetermined destination. I'm just going wherever my feet take me.

My feet take me behind the school and into the solitary security of the forest beyond.

My tiara gets knocked from my head by one of the tree branches.

**Anna**

I'm still completely stunned by Elsa's unexpected departure.

She just stood there on the stage, staring out at the crowd with a haunted expression upon her face... and then she just ran.

It took us all a moment to recollect ourselves.  
A hush of confusion fell upon us during the few minutes after she disappeared from the gymnasium.  
Being that this is a high school Prom filled with ignorant high school students who, in all honesty, couldn't care less about anything other than partying, they are able to bounce back relatively faster than I am.  
The music resumes as well as the zealous dancing on the gymnasium floor.  
I'm sure there's some whispered conversations going on amongst the group of single girls, gossiping up a storm about their Prom Queen. It's the most exciting thing that's happened to them all night, save for that attractive electric guitarist. He's totally shredding up his fretboard right now, by the way.

I snap out of it.  
Regardless of the fact that I basically just had a fight with my sister, she's still my sister and I've got to find her.  
There was something about that look in her eyes that wasn't right.

Jack Frost has vanished, as well as Rapunzel and her prince charming, Flynn Rider.

I'm assuming that Rachel probably isn't too pleased about being beaten out of the crown.  
I don't blame her.  
I'd be disappointed, too, if I knew I should've won but didn't.

I exit the gymnasium, through the doorway underneath the green and yellow arch of balloons.  
I stop abruptly, getting hit in the rear by the door closing shut behind me.  
There's a fight going on in the hallway with small gathering of students watching on with intrigued expressions.  
How can people stand to watch this? It makes me sick.

I immediately recognize the two kids involved in the conflict as none other than Jack Frost and Flynn Rider.  
Jack appears to be the victim. Flynn looks seriously irked.

Flynn shoves Jack back against a locker, yelling, "This is why you listen when someone gives you a warning."

Jack cringes, clearly in pain. He manages to reply in a firm voice, "I get that you're mad, but you need to get over it."

"I warned the both of you!" Flynn shoves him harder. I can't stand listening to the sound of Jack's body hitting the metal.

I can tell that Jack has to bite back a cry of pain. Still, his tone is calm. "Flynn, we can't do this now. I have to find El-"

The third shove drives me over the edge.

You can spend your whole life hiding, terrified of ever doing anything to help.  
You can spend your whole life telling yourself, "I'm just a little Freshman girl; what can I possibly do to make a difference?"  
You can spend your whole life in silence, never speaking out to stop the hurt.  
You can spend your whole life never looking back when someone needs your help.

But... life's pretty short so you should probably stop wasting it.

Disregarding that little voice in the back of my head trying to tell me that I'm too small and insignificant, I speak up.

_"Stop it!"_ I cry out, pushing through two bystanders to come to Jack's aid. "Stop it, Flynn." I squeeze between Flynn Rider and Jack Frost, creating a wall of protection for Jack.

Flynn snickers down at me. "Move out of the way, little girl."

"No." Surprise flickers in his eyes by the strength of my voice. My eyes burn into his, locked in an intense staring contest, far surpassing the intensity of the staring contests Kristoff and I had participated in.  
Flynn breaks away.  
Anna is the reigning champions of staring contests.

Poor, weak Flynn Rider backs away from both Jack and I.  
Jack takes this as his opportunity to get away, darting down the hall in the opposite direction.  
Flynn looks even more irked by this, but he doesn't partake in any more aggression.  
I think he's feeling too dejected right now to even think about starting up more drama that he'd probably end up losing to.  
I'm guessing he isn't used to not coming out as the victor. The poor guy has to deal with defeat twice in one day.  
Before he walks away, he says, "Come on, Hans, let's get out of here."

This is when I notice that Hans Westergaard is one of the bystanders.  
Hans is lurking in the background. I can see him internally cringe when we make eye contact.

"Hans?" I gasp. "I've been looking for you all night! Where were you? Never mind, I need you to come help me find my sister, Elsa."

I reach out toward him to grasp his arm. I was going to yank him out of the school as I did when we were at Chuck E. Cheese. For some reason, he moves his arm away, causing me to grab nothing but air.

"Your sister is Elsa?" Hans furrows his brow.

"Yes." I nod, swiping for his arm again... and missing again. "She's missing. Let's go look for her together."

Flynn taps his foot, impatiently. I'm sure he's wanting to get his sorry self out of here as fast as he can. "Come on, Hans, _let's go._"

Hans moves toward Flynn Rider and away from me.

I reach out one last time and cling to his arm, halting him in his place. "Hans?" My voice sounds pitiful. I hate that it does. "I need you to help me find my sister."

"Oh, Anna." A condescending tone falls from Hans' lips, the same lips that I let kiss mine. _"If only there was someone who would help you."_

"But..." I loosen my grip on his arm. "I thought you could."

"No." Hans laughs. "By the way, I got back together with my girlfriend. She's waiting for me in the gym right now. The only reason I ever went out with you in the first place was because I needed someone to stand in as my Prom date. Having a Freshman for a date would have been pretty pathetic, but not having a date at all would've been worse. You were so willing, you practically threw yourself all over me. Unfortunately, it turns out I didn't need you after all. Now if you'll excuse me, my real date is waiting."

I let go of him, letting him distance himself as far away from me as he possibly can.

He broke his two promises.  
_I would never let you get stood up.  
I would never shut you out._

The only two promises he ever made to me. He broke them.

My sister was right.  
Kristoff was right.  
Hans is a jerk.

The remaining bystanders trickle away after Hans and Flynn disappear back into the gymnasium.

I'm standing alone in the hallway now.  
Silence surrounds me in the worst way.  
I can't move nor can I breathe.  
I can't even believe that Hans isn't who I thought he was.  
I can't believe that my perfect Hans isn't perfect at all.  
I can't believe it, but yet it is.

_If only there was someone who would help you._

There is.

I retrieve my phone from the clutch clenched a little too tightly in my right hand. This night has me thinking that clutch's are really great stress relievers.

I dial in the four digit passcode to unlock my cellphone.  
In my list of contacts, under the K section, Kristoff Bjorgman's number had been saved in the memory of my phone.  
I have never texted him, nor have I ever called him.  
I do so now.

The ringing sound resonates in my ear, obnoxiously. It takes three rings until someone picks up.

"Hi, Kristoff?" I speak, uncertainly. "I really need your help right now."


	26. Chapter 26

**Anna**

Dr. Pabbie drops Kristoff off at the main entrance of Arendelle High.

It took him less than fifteen minutes to get here.

Kristoff races across the sidewalk through the rain, closing in the distance between us.  
He reaches where I stand waiting underneath the school's portico, shielding myself from the storm.

He has a gray beanie hat slouching over his messy hair.

"What's going on?" Kristoff asks, out of breath from running. Even gasping for air, I can tell that he's concerned about me.

"I didn't know if you would come." I feel pitiful standing there in my Prom gown, dateless and rejected.

"Of course I'd come."

"You were right... about Hans." A few of the tears escape. I don't bother swatting them away. Kristoff has already seen them.

His bulky arms wrap around me, squeezing me close to him. My head rests against his broad chest.

"I guess he started hanging around Flynn. Everyone knows Flynn is bad news." I murmur into his shirt. "He just stood there and watched as Flynn beat on Jack Overland. He just watched it happen without doing anything. He could've stopped it, but he didn't."

"I know." Kristoff whispers as he runs his fingers through my strawberry blonde hair, which has half-fallen out of that updo I had worked so hard on. "I saw what those two were doing. It's sick. In the end, all they really are is a pair of cowards. They always go running whenever I butt into their fights because I'm bigger than they are."

"You tried to stop them?" I look up into his face, without pushing away from our closeness. His face is inches from mine.

"I succeeded, too." He snorted.

I'm such an idiot for ever choosing Hans over him.  
Kristoff didn't walk away without looking back. Kristoff helped those people who needed him.  
He would've helped my sister, too.

My sister!

I withdraw from Kristoff's embrace. "I need you to help me find my sister Elsa."

"Elsa's _your_ sister?" His face scrunches up, shocked. "_The Snow Queen is your sister?_"

Why is everyone finding my family relations to be so surprising all of a sudden? Is it really so mind-blowing that Elsa is my sister? Sheesh.

"Yes." I nod, trying to hide my exasperation. "And she's missing. She won the crown and fled from the stage when she was supposed to give her acceptance speech."

"_She won the crown?_" Now he's shocked that Elsa beat Rachel Corona from what the entire school thought would undoubtedly be hers.

"Yes, pay attention." The irritation is edging into my voice. "But she disappeared and nobody's seen her since. She might be out here, caught in the storm. She might need my help."

"We'll find her." Kristoff promises.

A roll of thunder snaps us into action.

We search the entirety of Arendelle High's school grounds.  
Within the building, we search every room of every class. We go up and down every hall in both the upstairs and downstairs floors.  
I search every stall of every bathroom.

We were hoping she had stayed within the safety of the school's walls, but she is nowhere to be found.

We continue our search outside, going right out in the middle of the storm.  
We search even through the crackling of the thunder and the flashing of the lightning. We search even through the pouring rain and howling wind.

We search the parking lot and in between every car parked in it. We search the football field and beneath both sides of bleachers.  
We search every possible location within the vicinity of the school.  
She is still nowhere to be found.

My apprehension is growing.  
My anxiety is worsening.  
_Where are you, Elsa?_

"Elsa!" I cup my hands around my mouth and call out over the football field.  
I slide down to sit on the bleachers. A puddle of water that had collected on the cool metal soaks into the back of my dress. It's all right because my dress is basically already ruined anyway.  
"What do we do now? We've looked everywhere!" I cry.

A different voice answers, "Are you looking for Elsa?" It's not Kristoff; it's Jack Frost.  
He walks calmly up the steps of the bleachers to us, his shoes clanging against the metal. "You're her sister, aren't you?"

"Yes, do you know where she is?" I ask, feeling hopeful.

"No."

My hopefulness is crushed.

"Maybe she went home." Kristoff suggests.

"No, that's the last place she'd go." Jack reaches us. "I've looked all over the school grounds for her."

"We have, too."

"I do have a hunch." Jack's crystal blue eyes gaze out over the entirety of the field. "If there's one thing I know about Elsa, it's that she always goes to wherever she can find isolation."

I follow wherever it is he's looking with my own eyes.  
There, behind the football field, is a thick blanket of trees.  
A vast forest stretches out behind the school.

An ominous roll of thunder does nothing to alleviate my anxiety.

**Elsa**

Thunder resounds through the forest, vibrating the ground underneath my feet.

I'm caught in a miserable torrential downpour.

I wander mindlessly through the forest behind Arendelle High.  
I trip over sticks poking up from the ground, camouflaged by the thickness of the wild grass.  
Each step kicks the fallen raindrops back up. The rain clings to my dress, soaking it through. The fabric trailing on the ground behind me has a layer of mud collecting onto it.

My body is shaking violently from the cold.  
My arms hold my fragile body as tight as possible.  
My teeth chatter and my eyes try to see through the buildup of tears.

The forest is a blur of green leaves and brown bark.

Every turn I make brings me to a place that looks identical to where I had just come from.  
I'm going absolutely no where, yet I'm running to anywhere but here.  
I'm running from my past. I'm running from the hobgoblins. I'm running from myself.

Lightning cracks, illuminating the dark of the forest for a split second. It's followed by a loud clap of thunder.

_I struck my sister._

_I struck her with my very own hands._

I can't hold it back anymore.

My sobs echo through the forest, bouncing off of the trees. The sound comes from a dark, shadowy place from deep within me. This place is broken like frozen fractals of glass.

The tears stream down my face, mixing with the rain falling from the sky.

The sobs evolve into screams.  
Screaming is the only way I can express this pain, this regret, this remorse.  
I had buried it so far within me, but now it has to come out.  
My screams mix in with the chorus of the thunder.

The steady flow of tears progress into an erupting volcano of emotion.

I'm like a bottle coming uncorked. I'm like a caged animal being set free. I'm like the Snow Queen letting all of my emotions free in a raging snowstorm displaying my heartache.

But, still I run, because I can't stop.  
I know that if I stop running, it will all catch up to me and eat me alive.  
I'm not strong enough to handle any of this.  
I'm not strong enough.

Dead tree leaves crunch underneath my feet as I dash through the woods.  
I jump into a puddle, splattering more water up onto me.  
I run without stopping. I run without looking back.

I might've won Prom Queen, but my only kingdom is this kingdom of isolation.

The trees are my only subjects.  
They bend ever so slightly by the blasting air swirling around.  
The branches groan under the weight of the wind rustling through them.  
One branch gets knocked down, nearly hitting me in the head. It drops to the ground behind me. I don't look back at it. I keep running.

The lightning flashes again, but this time all I see are headlights.

_I was in the backseat of the car.  
My dad was driving and my mom was sitting on the passenger's side.  
The unrelenting snow was swirling around on the road, but my dad kept driving.  
The storm was obscuring his view through the windshield.  
I could almost see those icy fingers reaching out toward me.  
"I'm not the Snow Queen!" I screamed.  
Ever since Junior High, I endured never-ending bullying, which only became worse after I struck my sister in 8th grade.  
Rumors went around saying that I'd struck her with my ice powers.  
After the first rumors made their rounds, many more followed. Each became even more horrifying than the ones preceding it._

_The rumors followed me into high school, even into my Junior year._

_The kids that didn't bully me were genuinely afraid of me. I saw the terror in their eyes as they scurried past me as fast as they could._

_I was a monster.  
I grew to be afraid of myself. I grew to hate myself._

_I hid away in my room whenever I wasn't at school.  
I tried to conceal it. I tried not to feel it.  
That's what my daddy and the therapists always told me to do.  
I had to keep myself under control because if I didn't, someone would get hurt._

_I was diagnosed with depression. Severe depression._

_The kids diagnosed me as having ice powers._

_When you hear people tell you that you have supernatural powers for so long, something weird happens inside of you.  
You almost start to believe it._

_Sure, you might still deny it.  
But something in the back of your mind starts whispering to you that maybe they were right all along..._

_My parents were taking me to my therapy appointment. We weren't planning on having one today, but my parents scheduled it last minute.  
I always would completely lose it whenever the winter brought a vicious snowstorm to rage it's evil upon us.  
I always lost it because I knew what it would be like when I went to school the next day.  
The snow would be my fault.  
The bullying would be worse._

_"I'm not the Snow Queen!" I sobbed, lashing my hands out and striking the cushion of the seat._

_"Please, calm down, Elsa." My mother tried to hush me._

_I screamed louder, my words slurring together into incoherent suffering._

_"Elsa," My daddy turned his head to look at me, taking his eyes briefly from the attention of the road. "You're fine, Elsa. You're going to be fine."_

_Because his eyes were on me when they should've been on the road, he didn't see the thin sheet of ice spreading itself across the road in a deadly patch.  
He only took his eyes away for a second, but a second was all it took._

_Our car started spinning, completely out of control.  
We must have slid into the other lane; the lane with oncoming traffic._

_Two white lights came from no where. I remember seeing them before everything went black.  
They were the headlights from the car that slammed into us, head on._

I sink to my knees, losing all strength to keep running.

The hobgoblins have caught up to me.

I lay down on the mud of the forest floor.  
The rain pours down over my already drenched body.  
I'm soaked to the bone and my body is convulsing from the chill that has reached my core.  
I unwrap my arms from holding myself close. It seems pointless to try to keep the pieces together when they've already fallen apart. It seems pointless to try to hold my body heat close when there isn't any left.

My parents had been pronounced dead on sight. I walked away with hardly any more than a scratch.

My parents died because of a stupid patch of ice.  
In the back of my mind, I've always felt like that ice patch was my fault.  
If I'm enough of a monster to strike my own sister, than who is to say that I'm not enough of a monster to kill my own parents?  
The kids at school always told me I was the Snow Queen.  
In the back of my mind, I started to believe them.

When my parents died from a patch of ice... _that was my fault, wasn't it?_


	27. Chapter 27

**__****A/N: The last chapter will be uploaded tomorrow. Can't believe it's almost finished! :o**

**Anna**

The three of us explore the mass of forest located behind Arendelle High.

Jack goes up ahead of Kristoff and I, weaving through the trees without a sound.  
I find it peculiar how quiet he can keep his footsteps, even when walking on the wet grass and dead leaves.  
My footsteps slosh horribly in puddles which have collected on low parts of the ground.

The stubborn rain refuses to die down.

Kristoff walks by my side.  
A silent atmosphere is about us, save for the sound of the raindrops pelting through the trees.

We push onward through the sheets of water falling down upon us.

"What are you going to do when you find your sister?" Kristoff's voice shatters through the rain.

"Oh, I'm going to talk to her." I say, simply.

"You're going to... talk to her?" From the corner of my eye, I can see the doubtful expression on his face.

"Yup."

"You said you hadn't spoken to her in over a year." He remembers our conversation from when we rode Sven together. "What makes you think she'll want to talk now?"

"Well..." I pause. "I spoke to her at the Prom."

"And?"

"Uh... we got into an argument..."

Kristoff stops walking. "Anna, if your sister really did run into the woods in the middle of a thunderstorm, she probably just wants everyone to leave her alone."

I keep my pace, leaving him behind me. I glance over my shoulder and say, matter-of-fact, "Nobody wants to be alone."  
When he catches back up to me, I go on. "She had this weird look in her eye when she was on stage. She looked haunted."

"By what?"

"I don't know." I shrug. "Probably whatever has been haunting her for the past few years of her life."

**Elsa**

The storm is raging on.  
I'm lost beyond all possible imagination.  
At this point, it seems silly to even bother trying to find my way out of this forest.

At least I'm alone, just like I always wanted.

I lie on the soaking muddy ground, my body convulsing from the cold.  
My arms are sprawled out, away from my side.  
I stare up at the covering of trees above me, blinking whenever the raindrops fall into my eyes.

Every cold-sweat nightmare is coming back to haunt me. The hobgoblins swirl around within my frozen heart. I can feel them tearing into the already shattered remains of what's left of my soul.

_I struck my sister. I killed my parents.  
I am the Snow Queen.  
I struck my sister. I killed my parents.  
I am the Snow Queen.  
I struck my sister. I killed my parents.  
I am the Snow Queen._

My hands are clenched into tight fists, holding on to the grief that's plagued me all these years.

My teeth chatter. My lips are numb.

_The cold never bothered me anyway._

**Anna**

"Elsa!" I call out through the trees. It feels like my words get lost in the distance, never truly reaching wherever she is.

We've been looking for over hour now.  
I'm starting to lose hope that we'll ever find my sister.  
I'm terrified that something's happened to her.  
I hate thinking about her being all alone in this storm, drenched and shivering.

"You go that way," I gesture Kristoff to the left. " and I'll go this way. " I indicate that I'll go right, since Jack had gone straight. Although, we haven't seen or heard from him in fifteen minutes.  
Maybe he found Elsa, but I'm doubtful.

I can tell that Kristoff doesn't want to split up, but he follows my orders anyway.  
We've been tracking our whereabouts carefully. If I want to turn back and return to the school, I know where it's approximate location is behind me.

We've got to find my sister.  
The more eyes we have covering the most distance, the faster we can hope to locate her.

I part ways with Kristoff here. I stumble through the path to the right.  
I trip over fallen branches and over the ruined fabric of my green dress.  
The rain pours down into my eyes to obstruct my vision.

"_Elsa!_" A crack of thunder drowns out my desperate cries.

I run faster through the woods. I need to find my sister!  
My clumsy nature catches up to me, causing me to loose my balance and plummet to the muddy ground below.

I swipe the filth from my dress, but it's no use. Mud is caked onto my dress in disgusting, gloppy clumps.  
I want to swat the rain from my eyes, unfortunately, my hands are too muddy.  
My vision is horribly blurry. I can hardly see.

I don't need to see, because what I hear is all that I need.

"_I struck my sister. I killed my parents. I am the Snow Queen._" I can make out soft muttering a short distance away.  
I know my sister's voice like the back of my hand.

I pick myself up from the ground, blinking desperately to see her figure lying in the mud through the thick foliage ahead.

**Elsa**

Anna falls to her knees at my side, startling me out of my delirium.

"I'm so glad I found you!" She cries out.

Her appearance is probably just about as ragged as my own.  
Her dress is a muddy mess. Her hair is drooping out of her once elegant updo.  
Her eyes are dripping tears, which mingle with the raindrops.  
The clouds roar unhappily above us.

"Anna, you shouldn't be here." I whisper.

"I've been worried sick about you." My sister sobs. "You just fled the gym and left us. And then you went out all alone into this storm."

I choke out, "They don't care. I was only a joke to them."

"No, Elsa." Anna looks me in the eye. "They voted you their Queen because you fought back. You participated in the campaign against Rachel and you showed up wearing that dress. That's why they voted for you over Rachel Corona. Not because you were the Snow Queen; because you were strong."

She rests the back of her hand against my forehead. "You're as cold as ice."

"Anna," My voice comes out as forceful as I can manage. "Stay away. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to hurt anyone. Just leave me here, alone. I can't hurt anyone here."

"Elsa..."

"I hurt you, Anna." My throat tightens, thick with tears and emotion I had tried for so long to keep at bay. "I struck you and you hit your head on the wall."

I can see her eyes widen, realizing the truth. She hadn't known that the accident was my fault, but she knows now.  
She knows what a monster I am.  
Surely, now she will stay as far away from me as she possibly can.  
She'll leave me and return to the school alone.

But, she doesn't.

"That was forever ago, Elsa." Anna grasps my hand. My fingers are so numb, I can't even feel the touch, but I see it with my eyes. "Have you really been holding onto something that happened when we were little kids?"

"That's not all." I pull away. "Anna..." The sobs come back to me, again. I'm shaking from the shame that has shattered my heart into fragments. "It's my fault our parents are gone. I distracted dad when he was driving. He didn't see the ice because of me. They shouldn't have even been out on the road during the storm, but they were taking me to my therapist. If it weren't for me, they'd still be here. It's my fault they died."

A silence falls between us, the reality of what I've spoken settling in.  
The thunder seems to acknowledge this silence because it dies down.  
Anna breaks the silence.

"You need to stop blaming yourself, Elsa." An authoritative tone is in Anna's voice. "It's not your fault they died. You need it _let it go._"

She helps me sit up. My back is covered in a thick layer of filth. My colorless hair finally has a bit of color to it from the brown residue oozing through my braid.

"Elsa, you're so cold." Anna comments again. "Please, can we go out of this forest together?"

My sister waits a few moments before whispering, "Please, Elsa? I love you no matter what. I love you."

_I love you._

Something is shifting within me.  
It's the shatter pieces mending themselves back together.  
My frozen heart is thawing.

My knuckles are white from my tightly clenched fist. My nails dig into the palm of my hand. I'm sure it would hurt if I could feel anything.  
Ever so slowly, I open my hands, releasing the past I had been holding onto.

_Let it go._

I do.

As Anna helps me to my feet, the storm around us fades away.  
The steady flow of rain almost stops instantaneously.  
The thunder and the lightning seem to have come to terms with the conflict that had been raging on in the sky.

With my fragile body leaning it's weight on Anna, she guides me back through the forest from which I came.  
After a while, we meet up with Jack and another boy by the name of Kristoff.  
Apparently they had all been out looking for me.

Jack takes me away from Anna, carrying me the rest of the way.

Not once do I worry that I might hurt him.

You don't have to worry about hurting anyone when you realize that you aren't actually a monster.

I might have some dark things in my past.  
But, _the past is in the past._


	28. Chapter 28

**Anna**

Thus we journeyed back through the forest and brought my sister with us.

I took her home with me to the Oaken's, who didn't mind at all having my sister spend the night.  
As soon as I got her through the front door, I piled blanket after blanket upon her still-shivering body.  
I also managed to find an outfit among my own clothes for her to change into.  
Being that I am slightly smaller than Elsa, I just gave her some pants and a t-shirt that were just a tad too large on me.  
Even though these clothes weren't the fashion statement of the year, my sister was grateful. She warmed up in no time.

I do believe we both caught colds, but I could handle a runny nose if it meant I got my sister back.

Everything changed.

Elsa told me about the true identity of the Weseltons. Apparently, Mr. Weselton had been our parents lawyer. Because of this, he was very aware that they had set up a trust fund for us, which could be accessed by Elsa upon her eighteenth birthday.  
The trust fund was a very generous sum of money. Evidently, Mr. Weselton thought so, too.  
He took Elsa into his home in hopes of adopting her only to get his greedy hands on his would-be rich daughter's money.  
I guess the only thing he didn't plan on was Elsa not cooperating with his desires.  
I suppose, he assumed Elsa would be so desperate to have a family again, she would've agreed in a heartbeat.  
He assumed wrong.

The only time Elsa went back to the Weseltons' was when she went back to pack up the remainder of her belongings.  
Once she had done this, she slammed the door without so much as a goodbye.

Elsa came to live with me at the Oaken's, who were still ecstatic to have her with us.  
She had decided that she would stay here until even after her eighteen birthday, which had taken place exactly one week before her high school graduation.  
Why deal with all the unnecessary stress of finding an apartment the last week before her graduation when she already had a home that was fine enough to live in for one more week?  
She will move out after graduation.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, she will be taking me along with her.

Kristoff and I remain friends; really good friends.  
I realize that I should probably get to really know him before deciding to take our relationship to the next level.  
You know, just because someone seems perfect, it doesn't mean they actually are.  
I learned my lesson from Hans.

Kristoff may not be absolutely perfect; he's a bit of a fixer upper.  
I'm turning him around, though.  
I've even managed to get him to say "awkward" in casual conversation.  
I think he was describing something as awkward the other day... oh wait, he was describing me...

He takes me riding on a regular basis.  
Arendelle Stables feels like a second home to me now. But, I doubt I'll ever get used to that awful smell.  
I still tease Kristoff about that time I heard him singing with Sven.  
His ears still turn pink with embarrassment.

As for Rachel Corona; she had an incident.  
I'm not sure what this incident actually was. The gossip going around declared it was everything from someone smooshing their bubblegum into her hair to Rachel having an emotional meltdown from losing Prom Queen and cutting it all off herself.  
It also could've been a bad dye job.  
Whatever it was, it ended up with Rachel Corona's long, blonde hair getting chopped off.  
We were all pretty shocked when she showed up to school with short, brown hair.

Flynn and Hans... well, they pretty much stayed the same.  
Once a jerk, always a jerk.

Olivia still loves her carrots and eats them for lunch every single day.  
I still don't have any idea why she loves them so much.

Mainly, she's excited to do whatever Freshmen do in Summer.  
Neither of us are exactly sure what that is.

Elsa and I spend our time together strengthening our relationship as sisters.  
I think the thing I missed most was the laughter.  
Nobody can quite make me laugh like my sister.  
Our time together is magical.

She already promised me that when Winter comes, we'll build a snowman together.

She doesn't say much about what is happening between her and Jack.  
Her relationship with him is very personal to her.  
I don't mind that she doesn't tell me everything.

I like to watch them from afar.  
When I see them together, I know that some day I want what they have.

Perhaps my greatest accomplishment was convincing Elsa to read _The Snow Queen_ by Hans Christian Andersen.  
I know it was difficult for her, but she did it.  
When she was at the end of the story, she knew more than she did at the beginning.

**Elsa**

The auditorium is dim.  
A single spotlight shines upon me as I step up to the podium.

Even though they are hard to see in the darkness of the large room, I still manage to see their familiar faces looking up at me expectantly.  
The first two rows of seats spread out across to each of the walls on opposite sides of the auditorium. This is the designated area for my graduating class.  
Behind them, even though I cannot see this far, I know that our friends and families are taking up the remaining portion of the room.  
Anna and her friend Kristoff are undoubtedly sitting with the Oaken's and the Pabbie's. I also was able to officially meet Anna's dear friend Olivia before the ceremony began. I'd heard so much about her. She really is as wonderful as Anna always said she was.

A good part of Arendelle High's student body had also gathered to watch the Senior class graduate.

Everyone's eyes are upon me now.

I can feel their eyes with a nervousness that wells within me, clenching it's fist around my stomach uncomfortably.

Jack's face smiling up at me from the right-hand side of the first row fights the nerves away._ I believe in you._

I can do this.

With a deep breath, I begin my speech, "Have you ever realized that our journey through high school is kind of like falling snowflakes?"

I've got their attention. No one dares shift their eyes away from me.

"When we first start out our Freshman year, we fall from the safety of the clouds and out into this amazing free fall.  
Four years of our life; we have no idea where we're going or where we'll land."  
I pause, preparing to shift my speech to it's next destination.  
"And we're all different, we're all specially created just like there isn't one snowflake that's the same. Each snowflake has it's own original design, just as we as individuals do.  
We're all different. We're all special. We're all royalty."

I scan my eyes over the room with confidence. My head is held high, my back is straight, and my hands are at my side.  
I can feel the voluminous fabric of the green graduation gown hanging onto my body. I can feel the golden tassel dangling down, tickling my face. My cap is secured in place by several bobby pins.

"But, sometimes there's a gust of wind that comes along and knocks us off course.  
The wind tries to tear us apart. It tries to shove us to the ground, even though we aren't ready to land yet.  
The wind tries to get us to believe that we aren't good enough." My next line comes out as a whisper, "_But we are good enough._"

Regaining the strength in my voice, I go on. "It's taken me a really long time to see this, but I think that the gust of wind was only trying to make itself feel bigger. It was trying to make itself feel special. It was trying to shove the fragile pieces of glass to the ground so that it could build itself up.  
Were you a gust of wind?"

I look over the audience again. My eyes settle on Rachel Corona and her short, brown hair. She stares down at her lap, appearing more fragile than I'd ever seen her before.  
I pity her.

"If so, I just want you to know that you don't have to tear people down to make yourself feel stronger.  
You don't have to prove anything. You don't have to hurt anyone.  
I believe that you are as special as the rest of us.  
You just need to stop blasting the snowflakes out of your way.  
I don't think you realize the amount of damage that causes."

One last paragraph.

"And for those of you that witnessed the torture, but never did anything about it:  
You think that because you weren't the ones that caused the pain, you weren't the ones to cause the bruises... so it wasn't your responsibility to do anything about it.  
But, you saw it with your eyes and heard it with your ears.  
You turned away when someone needed your help.  
There was a snowflake being thrust to the ground with a force strong enough to shatter it into million pieces... and you could've caught it.  
I'm not here to accuse you. I'm not standing here because I'm mad.  
I'm not asking for an apology.  
I'm here because I want to see a change."  
I pause once more.  
"_Will you hold your hand out and catch a falling snowflake? Or will you walk away without looking back?_"

I gave my speech not as their Prom Queen, not as their Snow Queen... but as Elsa Snowe.

A stunned silence hovers over the room immediately following the end of my speech.  
I stand there, at the podium, and I stare at the audience, unwavering.

Just as I am beginning to step down from the podium, someone starts to clap on the right-hand side of the room.  
This grows until the entirety of the audience is clapping enthusiastically.  
One by one, I watch them stand up until everyone as far as I can see has gotten to their feet.

They're standing for me.

My vision blurs, but for the first time in forever... it's happy tears.

The ceremony goes on in the usual manner that ceremonies do.  
I acquire my high school diploma.  
I throw my ridiculous hat into the air.  
I become a high school graduate.

It feels like a fairy tale.

It feels like my life is finally beginning.  
I feel new.  
I feel free.

I don't feel like the Prom Queen, nor the Snow Queen.  
I feel like Elsa Snowe, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary life ahead of her.

I walk out of Arendelle High and away from the snowstorm that had plagued all those years of my life.

_"And it was summertime.  
Summer, glorious summer."  
-The Snow Queen_

**_A/N: Well, this fic was considerably different from my prior ones._**

**_Not much plotting or planning went into this beforehand.  
I mainly just wanted to write something again so I just went with the flow.  
I think it turned out a lot better than I thought it would; I'm pretty happy about that!_**

**_The main inspiration behind this story was my desire to write about Elsa in the way that I see her.  
The character of Elsa as portrayed in this story is basically the reason why she's one of my favorite characters ever.  
I can relate to Elsa's struggles with personal struggles I have to deal with every day of my life. Obviously, I don't have snow powers, but I see the snow powers as being symbolic as these very real life struggles._**

**_I also wanted to write Jelsa because I admit that this character pairing softens my heart a little. It's so cute and perfect!_**

**_At this point, I'm not exactly sure what my next project is going to be.  
I have a couple of ideas that I've been pondering, but nothing is set in stone yet.  
I'm kinda kicking around doing a sequel-type thing based off of this fic. Maybe just some one-shots about their life after Elsa graduates?  
How did you guys feel about the modern AU style vs. my previous writing style?  
I'm always up to hear what you all have to say and where you think I should go next!_**

**_I also want to give a special shout out to Unicorns, who has been reviewing my stories since my first fic! I can't ever talk to her because she's one of my anons, so I figure this will do.  
You're awesome, by the way!_**

**_I usually put a list of fun facts at the end of my Author's Note, but being that this fic is entirely different from my previous material, I don't really have enough fun facts for it to be fun :(  
Sorry y'all, I didn't use any secret messages in another language this time.  
However, I did compile a few songs that I feel kinda set the mood for the fic.  
If you're as much of a music geek as I am, they go as follows:_**

**_1. When She Cries - Britt Nicole  
2. From Where You Are - Lifehouse  
3. Breathe Me - Sia  
4. Safe - Britt Nicole  
5. Stand In The Rain - Superchick  
6. You Set Me Free - Angie Miller  
7. Still That Girl - Britt Nicole  
8. Let It Go - Demi Lovato_**

**_And because I always like to display how long my fics take me to complete; this fic took me approximately 33 days to write._**

**_Thank you all so much!_**

**_Until we meet again  
~Aubri_**


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